


Butcher And The Butterfly

by butimbroken



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-01-05
Updated: 2015-01-11
Packaged: 2018-03-05 12:08:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 29,456
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3119654
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/butimbroken/pseuds/butimbroken
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Buffy/Angel. AU. Mature Themes. Angelus Hart rules a kingdom under a curse of darkness until one day a strange, young woman appears out of nowhere and turns their world upside down. IN PROGRESS.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter One

Lorne Greene sat patiently in the waiting room, exchanging one magazine for another from the small end table beside him. He began flipping through the lightly scented pages until he found a story that seemed remotely interesting and engrossed himself in it for a few moments.

When the tiny bell let out a ding, he lifted his head up from the magazine and turned to look at the two young women coming inside.

"Come on, Tara," the one with the curly redhair said gently to the other. She reached a hand out to the blonde and assured her everything was fine.

The blonde slowly came in, babbling like a young child. She was in pajama's and had a cast on one hand. When they passed, the blonde seemed to stop being as 'out there' and looked directly at him. He threw her a smile. She began rocking her body back and forth. "Something's coming," she said.

The redhead turned her head and shot him a polite smile then turned her attention back to the blonde. She said soft whispers and tucked some of the hair that had fallen from the blonde's ponytail behind her ear. And soon had them walking up to the front desk to check in before going to find a seat.

Lorne gave them another glance before returning to the magazine.

It was a few minutes later when she, the blonde called Tara, began to hum. A shock rippled through Lorne at the first note. He sucked in a breath and listened as she continued, humming and soon she was rocking her body in the office chair, her eyes wandering aimlessly around the room.

Once again, out of nowhere it seemed, she looked at him once she finished. "You saw it, too, right?"

Lorne tried hard to swallow. He had, through her.

OoOoO

Angelus woke with a groan. He laid in bed for a few extra moments before rolling over and turning his alarm off. Sitting at the edge of his large bed, he scratched his neck, yawned, then rubbed his eyes. It took a few cycles of doing such before he actually pulled himself to his feet, going to use the bathroom and start his shower and begin getting ready for the day ahead.

Sitting down for breakfast in his usual spot, his eyes flicked to the large television screen while the servants busied about him, getting his meal an the table ready around him. As the report coverage for the story ended, they directed the attention over to the meteorologist. At this, Angelus rolled his eyes. He had half a mind to remove such a thing as weather reports from Wolfram and Hart all together. Yes, there were better days and there were worst days, but hardly enough for it to be news.

With a growl, he turned the television off, forgot about breakfast and stormed out.

OoOoO

Wolfram and Hart was a kingdom more popularly known as "The Dark Realm." To which, it lived up its name. From the darkness, the evil that flowed in the air here to the fact that the sky was overcast entirely in gray and the rain poured down all day, every single day.

As for the weather, one day... the storm clouds gathered and they never left. No sun broke through, though you could somewhat tell when it was meant to be daylight. No matter how much effort was put into artificial light, it still made little difference... inside or out. Their world was always black, light always dimmed somehow. Headlights on cars were always in use, streetlamps always on. Additional attempts to make it brighter outside remained on, helping what little it could. Houses never seemed bright enough. Offices never lit right. It was always cold, but livable for the most part. The actual temperature never ventured out of a 10 degree bracket 99% of the time. No question to you were better off inside your home, office, car, ect though than actually out there in it. The wind always blew, lightening crackled in the sky at least five times a day, and the rain... it fell and it fell and it fell. Generally, it stayed on course, a steady downpour.

A handful of times the weather increased, getting out of control, storms gathering that devastate everything in their path... but for the most part, things remain the same here, at the end of the worlds.

As for the curse, that brought the weather, that brought the endless dark... well, that all traced back to the great-grandfather of Angelus Hart.

Once, this area was all ran together by three families: the Wolf family, Ram and Hart family. That is how it always had been, for as long as anyone could remember. Then, over time, a rift in the workings started to form. By the time his great-grandfather was in place, the land was on the brink of chaos. The three families couldn't get their acts together.

There's many theories, but the most popular is the tension and chaos erupting between these men and this land actually created the witch. That she came to exist because they left "an opening."

Nevertheless, she came. And when she did, the three families broke apart completely. And everyone else living here went into an uproar.

She came to each of them, the witch did, using their anger, their greed, their power. She manipulated them further against one another and the people they ruled over. The riots rang out. The slaughtering began.

The three families were the worst of it, basically going into all-out war with one another.

His great-grandfather was almost lost, feeding into along with everyone else. According to him though, at the very last moment before it would all fall, something he called "an angel" saved him. Saved all of them. In almost a single instance, he regained himself, regained his family heritage. He stopped the madness with himself first then went to work on the kingdom. His family and a few close friends bound together and formulated a plan, guidance in here from this so-called angel, and they went after the evil witch.

Defeating her in the end. Or so they thought.

After all the damage that had already been done, over the last few centuries through the last several months, she went out with an even larger bang.

Before they could get to her, the witch murdered the Wolf and Ram families in their entirety. She went after the families of everyone helping the Hart family, nearly wiping them out completely as well, only a scattered few surviving. Members of his own family were picked off, one by one, until he was the only one standing.

Her last words rang out, loud as she could make them, in a language no one knew.

After she finished, and as he had gotten to her, the iciness ran through him and somehow he understood what she had cursed him with. Then, the flooding began.

In a matter of seconds, the kingdom was all but washed away. And as quickly as it came, it went.

The body of the witch, gone.

And that's when the dark crept in. The rain began. Evil remained hanging in the air.

Most of the land was destroyed. Families were gone... from the fighting, from the flooding, from the witch herself. But with who they had left, they rebuilt with what they had left. Against all odds.

But, as time went on, the realized more and more at what cost.

OoOoO

Angelus Hart was approaching his thirtieth year. He had been King of The Dark Realm for nearly two decades. Which his crowning itself had caused quite an uproar given his young age, but they were without any other choice.

His father had taken his own life and there was only Angelus to take his place.

His father's act had been a blessing to Angelus. In fact, he had no doubt he played a large part in the reasoning. But at the end of the day, h didn't really care. Not after the years and years of abuse and neglect at his father's hands.

His mother had been what his father called nothing but a mistake. And he, an even worse one than that. A drunken night out led to number three, which lead to the wedding to avoid a scandal, which later led to her death at his birth and being left with the father that wanted nothing to do with him.

Hart's had been left cold since the curse, but his father was evil beyond what ran in their bloodline. He made for an awful ruler, and a monster of a father.

They'd had to take six months before actually presenting him to the public as the new king. He'd been a mess when they found him. Chained up in a room in the basement of the mansion, beaten, starved, near death with illness.

He was finally found and freed, given the care he needed, and then he took his place as leader of this land.

Even with the dark future such a task held, it was still brighter than his past. And he swore he would do the best he could, that he wouldn't be his father, that he would change things as much as he could. For himself, for those around him, for the kingdom itself.

As time went on, it became harder to remember who he was. At times, even impossible. The cold would take over, the evil would control him, but so far, he always regained power over it.

They were all cursed. He was, the worst of it. His land was. Every single person who lived here, in one way or another, the cursed seeped into all of them. But he was always trying to do his best. He wasn't perfect, but he was trying.

OoOoO

Angelus ducked from under the hood of the black umbrella into the comfort of the backseat of one of his cars. He nodded to the man who helped him out and watched as the black door was shut. He let out a sigh then called out to the driver, letting him know the plans for the day.

A few minutes later, they were heading down the long drive to the mansion and out the gate.

Angelus sighed, leaning his head back. He was tired and hungry. And he did not like where they were heading either. The last time he was at one of these meetings he nearly killed the woman when he lost control of himself during their non-stop arguments. He would be dealing with the daughter mostly, who was no fan of him obviously, having not yet forgiven him.

He'd put this off for as long as he could though, so he figured he might as well get it over with and hope for the best.

OoOoO

They were only a few blocks away and stopped at a red light. Angelus sighed again, mentally going over what he intended to say once they arrived as well as practicing some calming techniques in case all hell broke loose.

Leaning forward to grab a bottle of water, suddenly... he heard... nothing.

His hand stilled, fingertips barely touching the white cap of the bottle. His mouth was slightly opened, his eyes going from one side, up and over to the other.

There was a cough. "Um, s..sir?"

His head turned slightly. He let out a breath. "It stopped," he whispered.

The driver opened his mouth but nothing came out.

Angelus swallowed hard then told him to unlock the back doors. Once he heard the click, he carefully opened one side, afraid of what he might find.

Stepping out, he noticed a throng of other dumbfounded people doing the same thing as he. They came out of their houses, stood outside of their cars, staring.

Angelus looked around at them, then up at the sky.

The sky was still dark, but no rain fell.

His eyes traveled across the sky. Nothing seemed otherwise out of place... until he spotted it. He nearly jumped at the sight. Far off, there was a... a spot. It was almost like a hole in the sky. Yellow looking beams fell through it.

"What is that?" he breathed.

He felt someone move closer from behind. "I... I believe it's... it's sunlight?" his driver's voice spoke.

OoOoO

Angelus pushed the double doors to one of his home's libraries, gaining the attention of the two men he was tracking down. "What the hell is going on?" he asked.

Wesley opened his mouth. Then shut it. Opened it again, tilted his head... then shut his mouth once more and looked across the table.

Rupert Giles cleared his throat and stood, taking his glasses off in the process to wipe on the bottom of his shirt. "Well," he puffed out a chuckle, "we honestly have no idea," he replied truthfully.

Wesley stood up quickly, holding up his index finger. "Not yet anyway," he threw in.

"Are you kidding me?" Angelus asked.

"Well, it is quite unexpected," Wesley said then sat back down at the glare the King sent him.

"The rain that has plagued this place for over 150 years just ups and stops one day," he said, pacing the floor. "A beam of what I am told is freakin' sunlight shows up out of nowhere and is apparently growing, cutting a line across our skies, and no one has any clue as to why? Correct?"

Giles sighed, finally putting his frames back on his face. "We are looking into it, sir. But no, right now, we have answers for you."

Angelus sighed. "What am I supposed to tell them?" he asked after a moment. "Everybody has questions."

He'd been getting flooded with them the whole way here, from himself and everyone else. It was nearly a mob back on the roads before they turned around and came back to the house. The driver would not shut up, which almost ended very badly for both of them. There were people following his car. People packed at the gates. Those who worked at the mansion coming up to him.

Why did this happen? He did not have a clue. How? Same. Was the rain gone for good? He had no idea. Was something else coming? Was the witch going to return? Was the curse broken? All very valid questions, all he wished he had an answer for.

A goddamn sunbeam. Why was it here? Did it have to do with the rain disappearing? Where was it? Why did it seem to be growing? What's over there? Is this a next phase of something? Is this a good thing? A bad thing?

No. Idea.

He had never seen actual sunlight like this before. He had never left the kingdom, he knew nothing but what they had lived with here his whole life. He had seen films made in other lands a handful of times, learned about them in teachings, read books, seen artwork depicting such a thing, even seen live photographs.. but this was all very new to him.

To everyone.

OoOoO

About an hour later, Wesley stepped out onto the front steps of the mansion to host a press conference. He released a long statement about the current state of affairs then went on to the questions. Not that they had many answers on anything but they decided it was best to address the public with reassurance and tell them what little they did know.

"Where is King Hart?" one young reporter asked.

Wesley cleared his throat. "The King thought it would be best if he went to personally investigate..."

OoOoO

The area which was now lit up from the sky opening up was a mess by the time Angelus arrived. He growled in the car as they got closer, seeing the endless crowd of people who had the same idea as he to come see this up close and personal. Thankfully he had figured this would be the case and brought security back up in case they needed it.

Besides the obvious, nothing seemed different, nothing seemed out of place.

He let his men deal with both the crowd control and doing their own investigation while he tried to sneak off to himself.

Angelus stood under the beams, amazed by the warmth that hit him. His eyes squinted against the sun as he looked up then around, trying to see any sort of sign of why this might be happening. As most were trying to follow the path the line was making, he decided to re-trace it and see where it started, if he could.

By the time they reached such a spot, the day was nearly gone, night falling on them. But to be honest, looking up through the hole in the world, even that was different than what he had known and seen his whole life. Angelus reached the fenced wall that marked the beginning of Wolfram and Hart. It started underground and went up. He wasn't sure exactly how high but it seemed to go on forever. You couldn't see under, around, through or above it. And as far as he could tell, it was as it always had been.

When the sun finally set, the stars came out, stealing the king's breath away. He used to believe they went on forever. But there's an end to everything, as he learned later. As with everything here. Their universe was in a dome, they were on one end and somewhere out there was the other. The sky, the stars, the sun... only went so far until it reached the top. The ground below them only went so far. There was always beyond that he supposed, somehow, what was outside of the walls, but no one knew.

Many remained in the area, and though he would have liked to as well, he gathered up those he needed and said he was returning home for the night.

OoOoO

At the sound of the thud, the car slammed to a stop. A feminine scream was year a bit in the distance. Angelus cursed.

Getting out of the car, he cursed again, watching a form slide off the back of the vehicle.

"What the hell are you doing?"

"Tara!" a voice shouted.

Angelus looked to the side, seeing a redhaired girl being held back by guards. Behind her, a crowd was still gathered. He sighed and went around to the girl climbing to her feet.

She stood on shaky legs and looked up at him, her eyes half-wild. "We have to help her," she told him.

His eyes went back to the redhead. "What's wrong with her?"

The blonde grabbed his hand. She didn't seem to notice his eyes flashing black when she did or him taking a step away from her and out of her grasp. "Not her," she said, then repeated that a few times before going into babbling nonsense.

"Tara!" the other girl shouted. "It's okay, honey." She looked at Angelus, eyes pleading. "I'm so sorry, she just... I could't catch her or stop her in time," she told him. "She doesn't mean any harm, I promise." She paused for a moment. "She's a Glory kid."

Angelus growled at the mention of that particular beast. He took a deep breath next then waved the redhead in. She rushed over and began comforting the blonde.

"Willow," this Tara whispered. "She's in danger."

"Who is she talking about?" he asked before shaking his head. Most likely it was no one. Those who came in contact with Glory had been left rather mentally impaired. Some more than others.

"Nobody," Willow quickly replied. "I just need to take her home."

He was about to turn away when the girl spoke again. "The girl... the girl who brought the sun."

This made him look back at the pair. "You know how all of this happened?" he asked despite the situation.

"She brought the sun."

"Who?"

"The girl..." she began then suddenly jumped to a another babbling fit. "She's not from here," Tara continued after it was over.

At that, he decided he had enough and excused himself.

There was no way that was possible. There was no way in or out of this place. Not since the curse.

"I... I can prove it!" came from behind him. "Tomorrow. Tomorrow I can prove it. I can show you."

OoOoO

Elizabeth made her way back up the tree she had claimed for the night. It'd taken a lot of time and effort for this given the flock of people who seemed to be just everywhere. She got back to her spot and retied the rope around her waist then reached for one of her two bags she had with her. She grabbed a few berries she was saving in case she got hungry after her meal and ate those and one of her containers of water to wash them down with. She reached in for her blanket and put it across her the best she could. Having gone kingdom to kingdom had introduced her to many things, including a wide variety of climates, but she was apparently not made for any of these cooler places.

At least the rain and wind had stopped when she fully made it over. She didn't know too much about The Dark Realm honestly but she'd heard the rumors and stories and was not exactly looking forward to what she knew about the place.

But, on the other hand, it worried her. It couldn't just be an accident that the weather changed once both her feet his the ground. That suddenly the sky opened up above her and seemed to be following her. And that she did not need. The attention that brought, she did not need.

This was supposed to be her safe haven, if she could just keep out of sight. No one was supposed to be able to get in or out. No one was going to be looking for her here of all places. She'd skipped through several lands, several kingdoms to get here, to the end of the world. It'd taken nearly everything she had to make it, and some stupid opening of the sky was trying to ruin that.

If she needed to, she thought she had probably saved enough dust to get back on the other side. But what would she do then? Keep running from one place to another? Running here sounded better in her plans. It was different here. She could make it work. Had to.

She put the water back into the bag and then tried to get a little more comfortable. Her eyes closed and she tried to get her mind to turn off. She needed rest if she was going to come up with a plan. She'd been going non-stop for days. Tomorrow... she could come up with her next move. Right now, she just needed a few hours of sleep.

OoOoO

"Tara, what are you thinking?" Willow whispered.

Tara stroked her girlfriend's face. "Believe in me, believe in this," she told her. Next she walked around, clumsily, gather items from the mansion, all with a handful of people watching her every move. Sometimes she would ask for help or directions but mostly just fluttered about on her own.

Once she gathered everything that was needed up, she asked the king about a certain item. A mirror.

"How do you know about that?" he growled.

She giggled and went off into her own world for awhile. "When the new day approaches, I can show you where she is." Tara turned to Willow. "I'm going to need you. I always need you."

Willow gave a sad look her way. She'd never seen Tara act this way and didn't know how to handle it.


	2. Chapter Two

It wouldn't be long until the sun would be up, and who knew what that would bring after the previous day's events. Angelus sat down in the closest chair he could find and let out a large sigh. His hands came up to his face and rubbed his eyes. He'd hardly slept between the trip home and having to get up for this, the town on high alert, his mind refusing to shut up. He still had next to zero answers for anything, and that was not a good sign.

Angelus watched as the Tara girl moved around the room, gathering items she needed and setting them down on the large table as she saw fit. The other one, Willow, was by her side, helping though looking utterly confused at times. Wesley and Rupert were here as well, throwing out theories, researching, asking questions to the girls, each other, themselves, the air around them.

There seemed to be a change in the Tara girl as she moved around. The crazy seemed to fade away and determination take over. Just another question to the list he supposed.

It wasn't too long before the girls announced they were ready and called him closer. He sighed again as he got up, walking over to them, unsure of what he expected from all of this. After all, she could just be making a whole lot of nonsense up for all he knew.

Tara positioned him in view of the large mirror and explained quickly what would happen. She then began mixing, chanting, performing magicks.

He was never much a fan of such, good or bad. Witchcraft always made him pretty antsy, given the history here. Giles knew this more than anyone and shot him an assuring look and nod, helping his nerves calm a little.

Angelus watched as the mirror started clouding up, blurry at first but soon coming into focus just in time to show flashes of the day before. Feet hitting the ground all of a sudden, light hitting them in the same instant was what showed up first. The timeline continued... though never really showing the girl featured. Instead, it always seemed to focus on a certain close-up of her, follow her from behind or above, or it would show the sky's progress. Not being able to see the rest of her made his nerves even more shot for some reason. He growled out a complaint about it, but he was only told he needed to wait.

It showed nightfall, the glow fading from the town, finally the girl. Darkened images of the girl going through the woods, climbing up a tree, finding a place to stay until morning played.

He could hear the others talking... Tara and Willow's soft whispers, speaking in a language he knew only what he needed from it, Wesley's outloud wonderings, Giles' comments... but he seemed to be in his own world as the mirror started transitioning into real time.

The light appeared in the sky, in one spot before spreading, the path from yesterday lighting up before the focus started turning downward, following a path to the girl. Her face tilted upward, stealing his breath away. She seemed annoyed with the sun following her, her face scrunching up before looking down to her supplies and began gathering them up. Angelus could feel his throat tightening up as they watched.

The girl was gorgeous. From one look at her alone you knew she wasn't from their land, no one here looked anything like her. She couldn't be more than a teenager to in her early twenties, but seemed to be handling herself quite nicely as she continued on her way. Her skin was a peachy tint he'd never seen before, and seemed to almost shimmer. Her hair was the color of honey, tossed up in a messy ponytail.

Everything about her seemed to nearly glow.

"Are we sure she's not one of us?"

"Yes," Tara said and he softly breathed at the same time.

"Well then, where the hell is she from? And how did she wind up here?"

"I don't know," Tara replied, almost sounding annoyed. "I don't know who she is, how she got here... I just knew she was coming and when she arrived. I don't know how on that either," she admitted, her voice softer. "And I do know she needs our help."

"Help with what?"

"Right now, I'd say with not getting caught. Some folks here, if they find her to be the source..." she trailed off, letting everyone's imagination run with that.

Angelus' fists clenched at his sides. If she fell into the wrong hands... No, he wasn't going to let that happen. "Where is she going?" he asked.

Tara walked around the table to him. "Your guess is as good as mine. I can follow her here. I'd guess she's looking for somewhere to hide, though." After a moment, "I can tell you where she is right now. I recognize that area."

At least that was a start.

OoOoO

"Where are you going?" Wesley asked, following him around.

"To go find the girl."

"And do what?"

"I don't know! Ask her for answers of what the hell is going on?"

"This could all just be a trap, Angelus."

He sighed. "You think I don't know that?" he asked. In his core he didn't believe it for some reason, but there was that small doubt in his head. "Do you have a better plan?" he asked after a moment.

Wesley looked annoyed. "I don't like any of this."

"Have you found anything in the archives that mentioned anything like this going to happen?"

"No, but we are still looking."

He nodded. He wanted to say more, but what was on the tip of his tongue already sounded ridiculous in his head.

OoOoO

Elizabeth was calm and focused as she watched her prey, waiting for the right moment to release her bow and finally have a start to a new food stash. Her tongue came out to wet her lips, then the bow went flying. She smiled as it hit its target, feeling her troubles fade away, if only for a second. Gathering up her pack, taking out what supplies she needed, she started for the animal.

"Nice shot," came a male voice from behind her.

She stilled, her stomach dropping. In her head, she reminded herself not to panic. Not yet. This could just be a friendly encounter, nothing to lose it over yet. She did curse herself for not realizing someone else was nearby however.

Spinning around, she put a smile on her face. "Thank you," she said to the stranger.

He stepped out of the trees some, giving her a better view. And the way he was looking at her started making her more than a little nervous.

He nodded, leaned against a tree. "Where'd you learn to shoot like that?"

"My father," she told him, her fingers gripping the wood in them. "Before he passed away."

"Sorry to hear of your loss..."

She knew he was pressing for a name, but she ignored it. "Thank you."

There was a silence between them. It made her uncomfortable, as did the look that remained in his dark eyes as he stood there. It was like he knew something about her and she didn't like it one bit.

"Well, I should be going now," she finally said and turned away.

OoOoO

Angelus felt like he could barely breath being here. Like the first real glimpse of her had put some deep pressure in the middle of his chest. In person, she was even more of a wonder, a beauty. He'd watched her for probably twenty minutes before she made the shot, entirely enchanted.

He was right in the fact of this girl seemed to glow somehow. He didn't think it was so noticeable unless you were looking for it, but it was there. Something about her... Hell, everything about her...

He felt warmth spread through him like liquid fire, replacing the ice cold that ran through his veins.

"Wait," he called out as she took the first step away.

Angelus watched as she stopped, her body tense. She spun around, fingers still gripping her bow. "Yes?"

"What is your name?"

She looked almost annoyed again, her nose crinkling up for a second. "You seemed to be getting a little too interested," she told him.

He held out his hands. "I apologize if I am making you uncomfortable," he told her, "I just don't recall seeing you before."

Her head tilted a little to the side, her green eyes sparkling with the way the light hit them. "You remember everyone you've come across in your lifetime?" she countered. "Or believe you've actually even met everyone in the kingdom so far at that?"

He smiled a little. "Probably not," he told her.

"Well then..." she said again.

"Craziest thing about the sun, isn't it?" he asked as she went to turn.

Her jaw clenched. "Yep."

"Sun comes out, the rain stops... out of nowhere like that... any idea or theories on that?"

OoOoO

Buffy didn't know if it was instinct, the way he said that, how he was looking at her, all of it combined or what but in that moment she had no doubt in her mind that this guy knew she was playing a part in what was going on and that she had been found out.

Her eyes looked around and her mind cursed. All the walls doming this place in were much too far off at the moment. She had to actually be at one to use the dust if she were going to escape the way she came in. If, that even worked.

She put on a smile, trying to hide her emotions. "Nope, not a clue," she told him. "Maybe the curse was broken? Maybe the sky ran out of rain? No telling."

"You seem nervous."

Maybe she wasn't doing such a good job of putting on a front. She shrugged. "Well, young girl out in the woods with some guy she doesn't know and all... who wouldn't be a little on edge right?"

"Too true, and forgive me for my lack of manners," he said then took a step closer. "I am Angelus Hart."

With that, her face fell. She knew the name from books in her land. He was the goddamn king.

OoOoO

Angelus let out a huff of laughter as the girl all but disappeared. One second she was staring at him, green eyes going large and bright in shock, her mouth just slightly agape and then the next she was a whisper dashing away from him as fast as she could go. He had to imagine the look on his face in this moment was quite amusing. He looked up at the sky, watching the light follow this girl, seeming brighter as he stood here somehow, before looking behind him.

It was a mere moment later when Adam, his driver today, stepped out of the trees. He cleared his throat. "Do you want me to catch her?"

He let out another sound that was close to laughter and shook his head. "No, I have it under control," he told him then went after the pretty blonde guest in his kingdom.

He had to admit she was very fast, and seemed to be very good at handling herself in strange woods. He'd nearly lost her entirely a handful of times. He was thankful she hadn't shot at him at least.

"Hey!" he shouted, finding himself as close to her as he'd managed so far. "You!" he continued, his voice faltering a bit.

Again, he watched as she zipped away and let the chase continue on.

OoOoO

Angelus cursed, spinning around, unable to find her or her trail. He bent slightly, breathing hard. This girl was giving him a workout.

He'd just straightened himself back up when he heard her let out a yelp. He stilled, his ears and eyes searching until the finally saw movement in the distance and he dashed off in that direction.

"Ow!" she cried out. "Son of a bitch," was muttered a little softer.

Angelus found her on the ground, her hands tugging on a thick vine that was wrapped around one of her ankles. These vile creatures of the forest were pretty rare, he had never had the pleasure of being in direct contact himself. With a sigh, he stepped over to her and leaned down. "Stop pulling at it," he told her. She was about to say something but he cut her off. Angelus took her much smaller hands in his and removed them from the yellow and purple vines. She had a number of needles and thorns in her from touching it so he had her palms facing upward as he laid them to the side. "Can I see your bags?" he asked.

"Why?"

"To see if you have anything that could help get thing off of you," he told her.

She hesitated for a moment before nodding an 'okay' his way.

Stepping around her, he reached for one of the bags and started going through her supplies. He spotted a knife near where she sat and knew she probably tried using it, and finding out that only upset these things more. He heard her let out a small whimper and felt himself wince at the sound. "It's okay," he told her softly.

"That's easy for you to say."

He chose not to reply, just went through her supplies until he found something worth trying on the vines.

OoOoO

The girl's ankle was finally let free, the vine slowly unwrapping itself from her before slithering away. He watched her hands start going to it on instinct but he pushed them back down and took her leg in her hands. The creature had burned a hole through her pants where it had latched on and he found himself wincing at the sight.

"Oh God, is my leg going to fall off now or something isn't it?" she grumbled.

"No. You do need it doctored up and some medicine for it though." He nodded to her hands. "I can't take those out out here."

The girl swallowed and looked at him. "I'll be fine."

He saw her eyes darting around, knowing she was trying to figure out how to flee again.

"I'm not going to hurt you."

Her eyes met his and she swallowed again. "Thank you for your help with... whatever that was," she said after a moment.

"No trouble at all," he replied. "Are you alright, besides the obvious?," he asked, nodding at her leg and hands.

She held out her hands, studying them. Her nose crinkled at the sight of the bloody mess, the needles and thorns still sticking out of them that the vines had launched into her when she touched it.

Angelus took one hand in his again, looking it over after doing his best to bandage her leg with what they had out here, then looked the other one over. He was careful not to touch the shrapnel, knowing it would only make things worse. He explained that to her and repeated he wouldn't be able to take them out here.

She didn't look happy, grumbling softly to herself for a moment. Then, the fool of a girl actually started trying to gather up her things and to get up. She yelped loudly as one bag she was trying to get over her hands and to slide to her arms hit her palms.

"Would you stop?" he asked. Pulling out his phone, he kept one eye on the girl and told Adam where they were so he could bring the car closer.

The two of them sat in silence until his phone went off and he spoke into it for a moment before coming over to the girl again. He bent down and began picking her things up, putting them away, zipping the bags and then throwing them over his shoulder. Next, he bent over her and lifted her into his arms.

She didn't fight him as he expected she would, instead she remained silent and a little stiff in his arms. They were both wet and covered in mud from the still-wet ground. She felt cold to him and he made a mental note to get the blanket out of storage in the car when they got closer.

The area they had been in was heavily covered in trees but as they continued moving the light grew brighter, falling in beams through open spaces more and more. But he was very unprepared for when they reached the clearing... The light hurt his eyes, unused to direct sunlight or any sort of brightness at all, the previous day not even coming close to preparing him for this. The sky was no longer a small trail in the sky that followed the girl, but suddenly while they were in the deep of the woods it had spread out, wider. And still seemed to be connected to her, following her... and him?

"Sir?"

Angelus looked at a weary Adam, then spun around with the girl in his arms, looking backwards for what he knew to be the trail of where they'd come from. From the sky he could see it a little more clearly. It seemed as if the massive spreading didn't start long ago, probably only where they had met up in the woods where she was stuck.

Another mystery it seemed.

Angelus looked down at the girl. "You ready to tell me your name yet?"

She swallowed. "Buffy," she said then sighed with a roll of the eyes. "Elizabeth. My name is Elizabeth."

"And where you're from?"

"I think I'll keep that to myself," she answered after a moment.

"Why is that?" he asked. But he received no answer as the girl suddenly feel unconscious from the vine attack finally catching up with her. Angelus sighed, getting help from Adam to get her in the back seat of the large vehicle and head back to the mansion.

OoOoO

Buffy semi came back to her senses before they got there, but remained mostly out of it.

Along the ride, the sky's new trick continued. He knew there wouldn't be much hiding that. Behind them, the sky continued to blossom, chasing after them. There would be a whole lot of new questions and concerns... he could already see the looks of his people's faces as they made their way to the house.

Eyes widened as they pulled into the mansion and some of his team were out waiting, ready to help with the girl. He told them her name and what little he knew and thought would help in her treatment. There was a bed brought out for her but he ignored it, picking her back up and carrying her inside.

More surprises came as they walked. The house lights brightened as he moved with her. Rooms that were always dim, no matter what you did, suddenly were shining. As the passed through one it lit up, bulbs burning a thousand times brighter than before they stepped inside.

The girl seemed to notice a little, her eyes watching, looking utterly confused. He wondered if she actually knew anything more than the rest of them.

Finally getting to Wes, Angelus laid her down where he was told and began going over what had happened and what he knew. Wes got the medical part down first before he began asking more questions about her, what he had found out, what was going on.

Sad to say, he was still at a loss.

He told him about the sky, how it opened even more when they were in the woods together and how it had followed him. Wes told him he needed to go upstairs and begin working on a quick statement and face time with the public. He argued, not wanting to leave her side but finally was convinced.

"I'll take care of her," Wesley promised.

OoOoO

"Elizabeth?"

She tried opening her eyes, but they seemed to heavy. She tried to speak, but nothing came out.

"Elizabeth?" came again.

Buffy could imagine the handsome leader of The Dark Realm. Her mouth twisted in a soft smile.

"Elizabeth?"

She tried to open her eyes again, this time getting them to flutter.

"That's it, just keep trying."

She groaned as she did as instructed, blinking hard a number of times. Her vision was blurry at first so she rubbed her eyes and slowly let the black and swirling dots fade and the focus coming back.

"Hi again."

The King was the only person she recognized. There were a few others in the room as well who she gave a one-over to.

"How are you feeling?" came a different male voice, an accent to it that sounded somewhat familiar but she couldn't place. She'd been to so many placed, there seemed to be a hint of everything everywhere.

"A little groggy," she finally said after clearing her voice a little.

"That's to be expected," the young guy with the glasses said.

She looked down at her hands, remembering the state they were in before and found them good as new. Her leg was looked over next. It was a little red still but other than that she seemed fine.

"Wesley here did a good job with fixing you up, huh?"

She nodded. "Yes, thank you. I feel much better."

This Wesley guy smiled. "I'm going to just do a few tests, if you don't mind?"

She felt like stuffing herself into a corner.

Angelus seemed to notice and came closer, sitting beside her. "He just wants to make sure you're alright," he said softly.

She nodded, and the man flashed a light in her eyes, had her follow his finger, tested her reflexes and other normal doctor-like stuff. He then gave her some cream and a bottle of pills and explained what they were, what the did, how often she needed to take them. She was weary of taking anything from these people though. Even after everything... It didn't exactly mean much in the end.

"Thank you," she repeated.

OoOoO

"Are you hungry?"

Buffy nodded and soon had a tray delivered to her. Given how much was there she decided she really didn't care if it was poisoned or a trap or whatever else, she just wanted to dig into it all.

After she ate, she asked if it were alright to go lay down somewhere. She had meant to start figuring out a way to get out of here but found herself taken over by tiredness and exhaustion. She passed out easily and didn't wake until morning.

OoOoO

"How are you feeling?"

"Better."

"Did you sleep well?"

"Yes, thank you."

A silence fell and she could feel him watching her. It made her nervous, and not for the reasons it should.

He had a smirk on his face. "Thinking of making a break for it?"

She made herself give a slow smile his way. "That obvious?"

He shrugged. "Anywhere in particular you're trying to get to?"

That was a good question. She didn't have an answer herself. How could she stay here now, but where would she go? Would she just be running forever? Would she even be able to get back on the other side?

When she didn't answer, he sighed. "Where are you from Elizabeth? How did you get here?" came after a long bout of silence.

She looked down at the table in front of her. "I would rather not answer that, if you don't mind."

"Why not?"

"Because I don't want you to send me back," she answered honestly.


	3. Chapter Three

He gave a breathy-type quick laugh. "Sweetheart, even if I wanted to, I couldn't. No one gets in or out of here. Not until you apparently anyway."

She knew that, had heard the stories. It was why she wasn't sure her plan to get in would even work. But that didn't mean there wasn't a way, she had found one. And if they found out what she still had with her they might use it to get rid of her even.

"What are you running from?" he asked, his voice going back to a more serious tone.

"Who says I'm running from anything?"

"Every single thing about you screams it, Elizabeth."

OoOoO

Buffy was looking out large windows of the mansion after eating. There was a massive gathering of people outside, gaping at the sight out there. The sky was clear for miles from mansion, and seemed to be spreading.

"Am I being kept prisoner here?" she asked, feeling another presence in the room again.

"No."

She turned around. "So I'm free to leave whenever I want?"

"I have no wish to harm you as I have mentioned, or keep you locked up somewhere," The King told her. "I have questions that I was hoping I would get answers for when I went looking for you, and I want to make sure you stay out of harm's way."

She looked him over. "Harm's way?"

He sighed, shaking his head and taking a seat. "Our world suddenly got turned upside down, so to speak. Some are not exactly taking to the unknown change as well as others. I was warned you could be in danger, though not given too many specifics. And that is only one concern out of many."

Her hand came up to scratch at her arm. 'It couldn't just be simple, could it?' She looked outside again. "I was under the impression that Wolfram And Hart was in never-ending darkness with a rain storm raging on," she said after a moment.

"It was."

She swallowed. "What happened?"

"I was hoping you had the answer for that. Everything seemed to stop when you arrived."

She sighed, debating far too many things in her head. "I'm not sure what happened," she finally said to him. "Whatever caused this wasn't my doing, at least not intentional."

"How did you get here to begin with?" she was asked again. When she was silent for what felt like forever, she heard his voice again. "Can I show you around?" he asked. "I have a little while before I need to do anything."

OoOoO

"It's different here than I imagined," she said out loud during the tour of the giant mansion.

He turned to look at her. "Besides the rain?"

She nodded. "I don't know, I guess it's a little more modernized here than I pictured in my head maybe. Part of me always imagined a dark, looming castle... like the one that used to be here they always talk about, dirt roads, old-time clothing, people riding on horses..."

He laughed a little. "Expected us to be stuck back in time forever?"

She gave a weary smile. "I don't know. Maybe."

He laughed again though. "You spend a lot of time thinking about this place?"

She walked around the current area they were in, looking at everything. "I spent a lot of time thinking about a lot of places." Buffy looked over at the king. "Don't you ever think about other lands than here?"

"I have to admit to that," he told her. "I don't know much about anywhere else so what's in my imagination is probably well off from the reality. But yes, I'v spent my share of time thinking of anywhere else but here."

Buffy turned and looked him over. His tone almost sounded sad and the look on his face, which he was doing his best to hide, tugged on her heart for some reason. She had always thought how isolated this place was, how lonely these people must be.

None of them had been able to leave this land since the curse. The entire kingdom was domed in through 600 feet thick, magic bound walls, with no known way in or out. Obviously you would imagine countless ways to try and escape had been attempted, all to no avail. The population wasn't what it used to be, and that was including everyone they had lost when the curse was even put in place. They had seemed to do pretty well, though, she had to admit. A lot of the land was modernized as she had mentioned, but all in their own unique way.

Wolfram And Hart only had contact with anyone outside of this place once every five years. Information would be shared through a meeting of all the leaders of this world, all from their own homes, done through some magical hubbub or another. They updated one another about their lands, the rules, who was or had been in charge, major changes, illness, disasters, so forth. At this time they would be able to share a few items among one another... food, books, movies, and more. But as soon as their time limit was reached, contact was gone.

How these meetings have gone had changed over centuries upon centuries. Long ago, they would go kingdom to kingdom, later meeting up somewhere, for another stint of time it had been done through book records, and so forth. She couldn't recall if this way had been brought on through the curse or not.

Other lands who were not boxed in as such were able to keep in contact at any time, not having to wait five years at a time. Leaders of different areas could contact each other as they pleased, many lands had anyone from one place or another free to speak to whomever, go wherever. If you were granted it, some even let you move from one to another. Yes, some lands were more strict than others, some did not get along with their neighbor and so on, but The Dark Realm really was all on its own.

"I've been to quite a few different kingdoms," she said all of a sudden. "I could tell you about them if you want sometime."

His eyes lit up at that. He gave a small smile. "I would like that. Thank you."

OoOoO

She hadn't been sure if she had imagined it before, but now there was no question as they walked through the large home of the king... Brightness engulfed wherever she went. Not just with the sun, but the house. And no way that was coincidence. Room to room they went, some she had briefly been in before, others for the first time. But as she came in contact with one, the place brightened up in a second's time.

He made no remark about it and neither did she. Not sure what she would say.

She knew there was no way they'd be able to get through the entire mansion. Not in a day, not in the time they had at the moment, or with all the stopping to look around or talk to someone new. But they did cover a lot of ground and she started to feel a bit more comfortable here for some reason.

OoOoO

"You don't have to by any means," he started, standing in front of a large door. "But in case you want to for awhile, I had you a room set up," he told her and opened the door and they stepped inside. "If nothing else, there's a bathroom over there," he nodded, "and you can use it to freshen up before you go."

She looked around the giant open space before her. This was even bigger than her former room at home. And more beautiful. Though, the last time she had been back there she was yet to even be a teenager so her tastes were much different now.

It was very elegant in here she had to admit, but nothing over the top, nothing to make you feel uncomfortable. It was very large. There was a small living area type space, a kitchenette, small two seater table near by, a large walk in closet had its own washer and dryer inside, several more closed closets scattered around the area. There was a large bathroom with a separate bathtub and shower that she had to admit she was dying to use, and of course, the actual bedroom space. That was quite a sight all on its own.

"Your things are over on that desk," he told her. "I can't promise you no one went through them but everything should be there. If you do decide to leave, Elizabeth, we will help you with whatever you may need. But I do hope you stay."

"Thank you," was all she said, unsure of her plans her own self.

He nodded. "Well, I have to go take care of a few things. Will you be alright here?"

"Yes, thank you."

"If you do need anything there's usually someone not too far away or you can use that phone over there," he pointed, "and get in touch with someone. Commands are on the wall beside it."

OoOoO

Angelus checked the time then went to his own chambers to start preparing for his next address to the public.

After a quick shower, he walked into his bedroom to get his outfit and spotted the mirror they had used to find the girl. He hadn't remembered it being in there when he'd come in but didn't think much of it and moved it to the side so he could start getting ready.

The King didn't spook easy but when he turned back around and saw a strange woman staring back at him inside the silver mirror, he fell backwards, taking a chair from his desk with him.

"That girl you have brought here," the woman in the mirror spoke, "She is the key to breaking your kingdom's curse and defeating the witch who ruined your land once and for all."

Angelus couldn't seem to find his voice.

He did not recognize the woman in the mirror, though something about her felt familiar at the same time. She was glowing, almost like Elizabeth seemed to, only it radiated off of her in a way you'd never be able to miss it. She was frighteningly pale, blonde, dressed in a white gown. There was nothing behind her in the mirror, no background, it just looked like empty glass.

"I don't understand," he finally said.

"You will," she said. "The biggest weapon against any evil is true love."

He was about to ask her more when there was a knock on the door. He turned his head at the sound, then back again but the woman was gone.


	4. Chapter Four

"Fairy dust."

Angelus spun around. "What?" he asked.

"Fairy dust," she repeated. "That's how I got here."

She could tell that he had no idea what she was talking about.

Buffy sighed. She had decided to take a leap of fate and open up a little to these people. Maybe she would get answers in the process, too.

"I was told while in another land that I should come here," she told him. "Obviously everyone knows that is impossible but I was given a small vile of fairy dust and was told if I made it out here I should throw some onto the wall from the other side and I would be granted entrance."

"And it worked?" he asked, his forehead wrinkled up.

She nodded. "When I finally got to the other side of the wall, I threw dust at it like I was told. At first, nothing happened but then suddenly there was a little cubbyhole that appeared. I had to climb up the wall to get to it as it was several feet off of the ground but I made it. I opened the door and there was a tunnel, so I climbed inside and followed it. It seemed to take forever but finally I found the end, running into it I might add. But, I opened the door on the other side. It was raining and even colder than it had become inside the tunnel. I was several feet off the ground still and there wasn't as much help on this side on getting down so for the most part I just fell from the hole. When I landed, the rain stopped and light fell on me. I looked up and the cubby hole in the wall had vanished."

"Why were you told to come here?"

She shrugged, falling into a chair.

"Someone told you to come here, of all places, and you just did it?"

She shrugged again. "It sounded like a good idea to me, the best plan I had heard so far."

"And why is that?"

"Because it's the end of the line and no one would ever give a passing thought to whether I would be here or not."

"What was your plan when you got here?"

She sighed. "I don't know. I didn't exactly expect the sun to start stalking me," she said. "All I wanted was to sneak in and remain unnoticed. That plan rather got shot to hell, though, wouldn't you say?"

OoOoO

"What's fairy dust?"

Buffy's fingers reached up to the small necklace around her neck that hid the remains of what she'd been given. "Magic," she answered.

"Where does it come from?"

"Fairies."

"What the hell is a fairy?"

"Is it true that everyone here has supernatural powers?" she asked instead of answering.

He looked annoyed for a moment. "Yes. Some more than others."

"But you don't have fairies here?"

"Not that I am aware of. There's witches, healers, fortune tellers..."

"Fairies are kind of a whole breed of their own," she finally said and did her best to explain what she knew of them and described the one who gave her the magic dust.

"Does this fairy dust only create doors to places?"

She shook her head. "It has many powers, but it depends on who gave it to you and why. Some can make a person fly, erase memories, things like that."

"Do you have fairies in your land?"

"No, but they are found in a handful of others, as far as I know. People are always looking for them from my understanding, but they always seem to find you instead."

"So the one who came to you... she was looking for you?"

"I guess. Either way, she found me and led me here."

"Did she say anything else?"

"Nothing that pertained to me coming here." Which was true. The fairy had spoken to her briefly about where she came from and who she was, but nothing more than that. She didn't exactly want to share that much with him so kept it t herself.

OoOoO

When it came time to eat, this time she joined the others in the main dining hall. The King was there, as were his 'watchers' as he called them, Wesley and Mister Giles, a few servants she recognized, some she didn't, there was a woman in a business suit standing by Angelus then two other women who looked about her age.

Giles hurried to help her to her seat and introduced her to the others. She had heard Tara and Willow mentioned and brought that up and she was told how they helped get her found in the first place.

During the lavish meal, she decided she liked the two girls well enough.

OoOoO

Buffy had retold the information about the fairy experience to Giles and Wes after dinner then left them in the library to do their research. As she was rounding a corner, she nearly ran over the redhead from earlier. "Oh, excuse me! Willow, right?"

She smiled. "Yeah. And trust me, all my fault, I haven't gotten used to this place yet."

"You don't stay here?"

Willow shook her head. "No. Well, we have been for the last couple of days... but before that, no, not even close."

"Oh."

"Can I show you something?" Willow asked suddenly, before she could say anymore.

"Um... I guess?"

Willow smiled and led her down the hall and to the room she and Tara were sharing. The girl went over to the bed, bent down and picked up a large bag and put it on the bed. She unzipped it and pulled out a few disks then went to go play them.

"I think you play a much bigger part than you realize," Willow told her.

"What do you mean?"

Willow patted next to her and Buffy walked over. "It's not just the sun and the rain that you changed."

Buffy asked her again what she meant but Willow only pointed at the screen then started the disk. On it, the other girl, Tara, was shown... looking nothing like the girl she had met hours ago. Yes, her face was the same, but that was all. She seemed out of her mind, talking in riddles and more-so plain gibberish, with a few coherent words here and there. Her eyes and face seemed so blank, staring off into space, unfocused on anything.

"This was Tara... last week."

"What... what happened to her?"

Willow clasped her hands together. "Many years ago, there was a witch named Glory here. She started getting into the dark magicks apparently. One day, she attacked one of our schools." Willow looked down. "It was where the more 'gifted' children went. The more powerful. And she started going after the children. Some she, I guess, had no use for and killed. Others she drained them of their power. Some... some she just left broken like this."

Willow played a small news report next.

"Tara was always the happiest person I ever met. So smart. So carefree. But after that day... she was never the same. It was like... 99% of her was just gone. Stolen. She'd been living with the effects ever since."

"I'm so sorry," Buffy told her honestly. She could tell there was special bond between the two young girls.

"But... I think... I think you coming here fixed her."

"I didn't do anything, Willow."

"Maybe not, but that's what I think happened anyway. She felt you coming, she'd babbled on about it. And at the time no one thought anything about it. But then, when the rain stopped and we saw the sun... it was like she returned to me."

Buffy felt like her chest was going to crush in. "I... I don't..."

Willow gently grabbed her hand. "I don't understand any of this either, not really. But I just wanted you to know. And I wanted to thank you. I think something big is going to happen, and I think you're going to be in the middle of it all."

OoOoO

"You look like you're about to get sick. Everything okay?"

Buffy sat down again, took in a few deep breaths. "I have no idea what is going on here. I really don't."

Angelus knelt down next to her, placing his hand on her back. "It's okay," he whispered a few times over.

"Willow told me all this stuff about Tara and other children and some witch named Glory and how it's all different now, the rain stopping, the sun following me everywhere, lights coming on... I just... I don't understand any of it."

"It's okay," he said again, his hand rubbing her back gently. "We're going to figure all of this out, alright? We're all thrown through a loop with it right now, but we will get to the bottom of it all. I promise."

OoOoO

Feeling very overwhelmed and suffocated, Buffy stepped out onto a balcony and enjoyed the night air, the soft breeze hitting her. She closed her eyes and asked The Powers That Be for the countless of times in her mind why her? Why was this her life?

Her life was split into two decades. One where she was back in her own land, she had a family, friends, a life. The other was this... always on the run, having nothing, doing nothing but trying to survive.

Sometimes we wondered if the old memories, the good ones, were even real. If they weren't just some fantasy she created in her head.

OoOoO

Rupert Giles touch his lord's shoulder when he got up to go after the young blonde. "Give her a few minutes," he said softly. "Then I'll go talk to her."

"I don't think probing for more information right now is going to help her."

He gave a small smile at the king. "There will be none of that tonight. I just want to get to know her a little better, and vice versa. Maybe she'll open up more to us the more comfortable she is."

OoOoO

"Are you alright out here, dear girl?" Giles called out, stepped onto the balcony after several moments had passed.

She let out a huge breath. "I don't feel quite as boxed in," she gave.

Giles smiled a little. "It's rather beautiful out tonight," he commented, looking up. "Can't believe we even have stars now," he said.

"Yeah," she breathed, looking up herself. "That has to be pretty odd for you all too, huh?"

"You could say that."

"Do you know much about them? The stars?"

"Hmm? Oh, well, yes and no. On paper I do, the systems, the names and all. I've been studying such for as long as I can remember. But this..." he shook his head. "It is one thing to read about something, to study it, but another to actually see it like this."

"I can relate so well to that," she told him.

A comfortable silence fell between them.

"We have all had so many questions about you, you must have plenty for us as well," Giles said at last.

She looked at him, then away. He didn't think she was going to respond but then, "What happened to Glory?"

His hands came up, brought his glasses down and began wiping them. "Angelus killed her."

"He do that often? Kill people?"

Giles' lips twisted up at her tone. "No," he replied. "That was his first and, so far, his last kill."

She nodded. "Hmm."

He put his glasses back on his face.

"How do grow food here? With all the rain, lack of sun? How do the animals..."

He sat down for this one, it was a long and complicated story for how they had managed that. A lot of underground greenhouses where it wasn't so bad with the downpour, engineering to perfection...

"How long have you worked here?"

They continued like this for over an hour. Her questions were broad, one topic to another, profound to silly at times. He did his best to answer, and found himself actually enjoying the interaction with the young stranger. He found her intelligent, funny and very curious. Something about her reminded him of Angelus, too, when he was younger and not so worn down from this life.

OoOoO

Giles opened the door and allowed the girl to pass before he followed suit. He smiled and gave a nod toward the king, watching the girl start for him.

He couldn't help but smile as he watched them. The air seemed to lighten whenever the two were in close quarters, not to mention he had heard seen the effects otherwise that came about when the two were together. He was at a loss for what any of it meant, but it was rather fascinating.

He started walking towards his partner to get back to work when he gave them one last look.

And that was when he saw it.

Elizabeth was yawning and stretched her arms up. Her shirt pulled upward just a little and he squinted, seeing some hint of a marking on her flesh. But just like that, her arms lowered and it was gone. But he knew he'd seen it, and for some reason he thought it was almost familiar somehow, as if he'd seen it before.

And this was only with the a mere glimpse of a piece of whatever it was.

He heard Angelus and Elizabeth saying they were off to retire for the evening and made out the sounds of their departure, as well as Wesley rambling off to one of the others who were currently down in the library with them. He was more focused on his task at hand though, finding a sheet of paper and trying to draw whatever was hidden deep in his memory.

OoOoO

Angelus had just climbed into bed when there was a frantic knocking on his door.

For a second he started growling and grumbling, then he felt his heart beat pick up as his mind went to the girl. What if something had happened? What is she decided to take off? What if something new came about?

He jumped up and ran to the door, opening it to find an excited-looking Giles on the other side. "What is it?" he breathlessly asked.

He looked downright giddy to be honest. Giles' white teeth flashed, he held a piece of paper that had something drawn on it.

"I know who she is."

OoOoO

Giles pushed his way past Angelus, entering the king's chambers. Angelus watched him, still completely dumbfounded. And a second later he heard Wesley following in from down the hall. He walked in with his arms full of books and papers, looking quite out of breath.

"You know who she is?" Angelus finally asked. He didn't know why this made him so impossibly nervous, but it did.

"Yes," Giles said, his white teeth flashing as he smiled. "She is the product of true love."

There was that phrase again. True Love. He hadn't told anyone about his visitor in the mirror yet, but had a feeling he would be by the end of this conversation. "The product of true love?" he asked.

"Yes."

"What the hell does that mean?" he asked, growing annoyed.

Giles couldn't seem to keep still. He put the papers down and went over to Wes, sorting through books until he found the one he wanted. "Let me back up just a little," he said and began telling them how he had noticed the marking on Elizabeth's skin earlier, how it had looked familiar for some reason. "I tried to think back, and to see if I couldn't draw it. When I had an early sketch, I hurried to my books to look in there and that's when it all clicked." Giles reached over to grab the white sheet he had been holding when he came and handed it to Angelus and began describing it briefly. "It's the seal from Acathla."

Angelus was aware that centuries ago they started the tradition of marking those from their land with this symbol but he listened all the same as Giles found an article about it in one of the books and began explaining it.

Angelus pinched the bridge of his nose letting this information sink it. He thought back to all the information he knew about this other land. In terms of actual size Acathla was the smallest kingdom, though moderately populated compared to others. It also happened to be the wealthiest.

"Do you have a map?" The King asked the two watchers.

A large cloth map was pulled from another one of the books and laid across the bed. Giles smoothed it out once more then pointed to where Acaltha was.

That was just what he'd been picturing in his head as he tried to place the land in question. "Acaltha is more than give kingdoms over from here," he said. One or two away he could wrap his head around, but the small blonde had to have traveled through seven entire worlds just to get here. That was no easy feat for anyone, let alone with some of the lands he knew were between here and there. It was no longer what was she running from so bad that she would come here at all, but go to such lengths just to get here.

As if reading his mind, Giles continued. "She's on the run from the king."

For as long as he had the title here in Wolfram And Hart, Hank Summers had in Acathla. Angelus had never been very fond of their leader to begin with but over the past decade Summers had really gotten under his skin. At the last two meetings between the leaders Hank seemed to take it upon himself to take over, ranting and raving about the same thing, his consuming desire for revenge against his late wife and anything that had to do with her.

"What makes you think that?"

"Because that young woman we have taken in is Buffy Summers," Giles said. He paused briefly. "Elizabeth Summers."

OoOoO

Ten years ago Angelus had been given a pile of notebooks from one of the other kingdoms. It was probably his favorite thing he'd ever received at the gatherings as it was the most personal. Not only that, but it almost served as the only other closest thing he had to real interaction with anyone outside of The Dark Realm's walls. It was given to him from the then-king of Amara, which was the kingdom furthest away from them, at the other end of the world so to speak. Inside the pages of the books held hand-written words from their king... stories from their land, recipes, sharing some of their customs. The pages had sections in them dedicated to each of the kingdoms... he was told in them about the various lands, their customs, their descriptions, brief history, interesting facts. There were stories of the current leaders, gossip about the different lands.

It was the closest he got to being outside of these walls, and he truly cherished the gift. He'd read over it countless of times, and still felt like he found something new in it every time.

It was in these journals that Angelus had learned more about Hank Summers. Some he'd known from information passed in the meetings during his run as king, but most came from these presents from Amara.

OoOoO

Hank Summers had not been born into royalty like most leaders. Instead, he'd made a challenge for the throne, and won. Many believed he'd cheated somehow, but nevertheless, he became king. And he used the power to wed Joyce Du Lac.

It was no secret that Hank had been in love with Joyce according to the journals, but she was spoken for. As few in any land marry for love as it were, it was infuriating to Hank that she continued to turn him down, even after taking the throne. So, in order to get her to accept the position of his queen, Hank began threatening Joyce and her love's families. When threats alone did not work, he made good on his word and killed every member of her family. Before he could go after Ethan's family she called for him to stop, agreeing to marry if he would.

Summers banished the entire Rayne family from his land, marring the entire family to try and rid them of even the mark to show where they came from. Joyce was forbidden from seeing Rayne again, even from mentioning his name.

Apparently, this did not stop the two lovers though. While Joyce remained unhappy in the marriage, she would use any chance she had to flee using one excuse or another from the side of Hank and meet up with Ethan. Many actual knew, but no one dared mentioned it to the king. Fear of being the messenger of bad news, people just mining their own business, those rooting for the pair, even the few who helped sneak Joyce in or Ethan out so they could see one another.

When Joyce eventually fell pregnant, Hank obviously assumed it was his and was overjoyed. Just as he had with everything that had to do with Joyce, he brought out all the stops for the new baby. After she, the daughter, Elizabeth, was born it was clear Hank had no fathering instinct in him really, it was more he felt he had gained more power and control, not to mention more to boast about.

For ten years Hank was led to believe Elizabeth was his own. But when he found out the truth...

Nobody seemed to know for sure the details of how the information was shared, but most believed Joyce was sick of the charade. In any event, the king found out that his wife had betrayed him this entire time. That she had secretly been meeting with Ethan, bringing Elizabeth along when she was older as well, telling the girl the truth at a young age... that when she'd fallen pregnant she had been tested to make sure it was Ethan's child and not his, which was true... That no matter what he did, Joyce would never truly be his.

Hank went on a rampage. He announced to the kingdom his wife's indiscretion and that there would be hell to pay.

The Rayne family were hunted down, imprisoned at the castle until all were found. Then, one by one, beaten, torture, slaughtered. Ethan was saved for last. Joyce and Elizabeth were taken from their tower where they had been forced to watch and brought down to them.

Hank made a mockery of the situation, doing everything he could to hurt the three of them.

When Hank finally ended Ethan's life he turned towards his wife and the child only to see the girl start running as fast as her little legs would carry her in that moment and Joyce already dead on the ground, her life ending the very second Ethan's did, her body hitting the ground at the same time as his.

Hank had been hunting the girl down ever since. Hunting parties, threats, reward money offered, ect. Any type of plan he could think of it was put out there. Angelus had just assumed the girl had probably died out there on her own long ago or who knew what... but this?

OoOoO

"True Love is the rarest thing that we know of," Giles said as they talked about the situation. "And the most powerful."

Angelus sighed. It wasn't like he knew anything about that. "People fall in love all the time."

Giles shook his head. "People marry for a number of reasons, or are drawn together for any number of reasons. There's fondness of someone, liking them, and yes sometimes even loving them... but to truly be one with someone else is a rare gift. And that is what Joyce and Ethan had, and their daughter was even more of a treasure, made from this unbreakable bond."

"Which begins to explain a lot," Wesley said.

"Not to me it doesn't!"

Giles sighed, removing his glasses. "That girl is of the purest love, the purest light. She's more powerful than any evil could ever dream to be. That's why, part of the why, to the light following her here. Why the curse has been tapering off."

Angelus looked annoyed, the watcher's anxious. That only made him more on edge. "What?"

"I think there's more... and I think it has to do with you."

"Like what?"

Giles looked down for a moment, his eyes scanning over a few books that had been laid out in front of him. "I... I believe she's not only the product of love," he said. "I think she's someone else's half, too." Giles swallowed. "I think she's supposed to be yours."

Angelus growled loudly, his eyes flashing. "What?"

"I think she's supposed to break the curse, help break it anyway, but beyond that... I think she's supposed to save you," Giles rushed out.


	5. Chapter Five

She hated nights in general. She really, truly did.

Darkness had been her cover here when the light had followed her, trying to expose her, but anywhere else the night always made her feel vulnerable. Sleeping hadn't come easy in a decades time but even when she was able to go down for a night it was always restless. Even in times where she was supposed to be temporarily safe, she never really felt it. If she relaxed she always felt like something bad was going to happen.

And the nightmares, well, they sure didn't help anything.

Buffy was almost entirely healed from her attack in the woods so there had been no medication haze to find herself lost in tonight. She was already down in dosages needed in such a short time. So, instead, Buffy found herself tossing and turning through the hours, waking up with a silent scream falling from her lips, images from a past reality colliding with all the ones of various 'what if' situations playing through her mind.

Unable to take anymore, she pulled herself out from the bed, went to splash some water on her face, get a quick drink and then go roam through the halls of the large mansion.

OoOoO

Even though she had pretty much been given permission, she still felt like she was doing something wrong as she wandered through the home of the king, like she was sneaking around. She encountered very few people on the journey, all of which asked her if she were alright or if she needed anything but otherwise left her alone and continued about what she was doing, though there were those looks she got... like they were just dying to ask her something, and she had a pretty good idea of what the subject matter of those questions would be.

Going up to one of the floors she hadn't been to before, Buffy's eyes grew big as looked around. It was pretty much a mini-museum set up of the history of Wolfram And Hart. One of the things she planned to do was catch up on her history of this place, from the source itself, so this was an unexpected treat.

She was going from one point to another, looking in cases, reading plaques, gazing at the faces in paintings on the walls when she suddenly heard the sound of liquid in a glass with ice clinking around. Spinning, her eyes scanned until she found the source.

She had no idea how long he'd been sitting in here but didn't ask. Instead the two of them stared at one another until she spun back around, going back to what she was doing.

For some reason, every time he was near she felt like something was tugging on her insides. He made her nervous yet somehow relaxed at the same time.

Swallowing, she looked up at the painting on the wall in front of her. "Obviously you get your looks from your mother's side of the family," she finally spoke.

She heard him snort behind her and her own lips twitched upward at the sound. Buffy heard the soft rustling behind her, the sounds of his glass again and turned back around to find him standing, then watched as he came closer. His eyes gazed over her before going to the wall, a darkness shadowing in them as he looked at the face hanging there.

Her own eyes returned once again to the painting. "I honestly don't remember ever hearing much about him," she said, then felt awkward about her choice of words. This was hardly the best subject to breech with him. She didn't know much about his father but what she had heard and remembered none of it was exactly good.

"It doesn't seem he made much of a lasting impression," Angelus said before she could apologize. "Here... there's a few ever-lasting made choices, but otherwise the only thing anyone seems to remember about him is he killed himself."

"I'm sorry," she said after a brief moment of silence.

He shrugged, taking a drink.

"Did you and him have a good relationship?" she asked, again feeling awkward. In her mind she cursed herself out for not just excusing herself from all of this or at least attempting to change the subject.

Another drink, then a sad laughter followed. "My father... he was emotionally, verbally, mentally and physically abusive," the king told her. "Most of my childhood was spent locked away in a basement, hidden, chained up, starved and alone. He usually wasn't around but when he was I became the punching bag for everything wrong with his life, with the world, who knows. He wasted no time in telling me just what he thought about me... how I was nothing but a mistake, that I was worthless, so on... so forth."

Her breath sucked in a little as she listened, her heart burning for him. "That's awful," she whispered. "I am so sorry."

He took another drink, his free hand coming to rest on the back of a chair that went to the desk in front of them. "It was hardly his fault," he said, though his tone sounded bitter as he spoke, almost like it was through gritted teeth.

Her eyes narrowed at him. "Why? Are you under some delusion that you deserved to be treated like that?"

He looked down, his lips twitching into an odd smirk. He shook his head. "No," he let out with a sigh. "Nothing like like." Angelus paused. "Hart's..." his head turned upward a little, "Hart's don't have hearts," he told her, then lifted the glass to his lips, finishing it off.

Her eyebrow lifted. "Hart's don't have... hearts?" she questioned. "What does that mean? You... don't have a heart?"

He sighed. "Oh, there's one there, physically" he answered. "One extra part of our dear ol' curse though... Hart's are unlovable and unable to love," he told her. "We are nothing but damage folk. There's compassion, empathy, anger, sadness, desire... there's emotion, just never that one."

Buffy let that sink in the gave him a hard look. "That still wouldn't excuse his actions. Whether someone loves you or not, even if they are incapable of such a feeling, there's still right from wrong, correct? Obviously you have some sense when it comes to that. So whether he loved your or not that does not give him any excuse or right to have tortured you."

He let out a sad laugh. "Oh, maybe you were right then. Maybe I just excuse it out of some twisted delusion. Maybe some part of me believed or maybe even to this day still believes still that I deserved it. I don't know."

She looked him over, her heart heavy. At times she felt like the two of them were kindred spirits in the most depressing ways.

OoOoO

Angelus pulled himself away, his eyes going to the now-empty glass in his hands. He silently wished he'd grabbed a bigger glass, or just taken the whole bottle, if not a few, with him. His head hurt from everything he'd learned earlier from Giles and Wes. He'd about taken Rupert's head off when he went off with his insane theories about the girl, especially ones that came back to him. In the midst of it all he'd finally told the two men about the incident with the ghost-like woman in the mirror, which only excited the two of them more. Unable to deal with it anymore, he stormed out and came up here.

Then she had to show up. And that was not helping matters any.

OoOoO

Buffy had grown up the product of the wonders of True Love, she'd heard her parents story, the power behind it, some of what that was supposed to mean for her and so on over her twenty years time but she knew nothing of love from personal experience. True or otherwise. She hadn't been faced with lust, not even a likage to someone. Sure, she thought there more some attractive men out there that she had seen but nothing went beyond that.

When she was younger, she could remember having a crush or two, but nothing that stood out. And when her world fell down... there was nothing. All of her time and energy was spent on hiding, getting away, living to see another day. She had no connections to anyone. She had spoken to various people, been helped out several times by strangers, but she'd had no one. Let alone some romantic involvement.

Pressing her lips together, she let her eyes glance over, taking in the king beside her. She couldn't imagine him unable to find love, curse or not. While she'd only heard awful things about his father, she'd only really ever heard positives about him. Being around him, even for such a brief period of time, it made it even harder to imagine him as 'unlovable.' He was strikingly handsome, no way around that. The king had a way of making you feel at ease, for the most part anyway, which was no small feat in her case. If nothing else, he was so damaged that all you wanted to do was take all that pain away.

The way he made her feel at times... she was sure any girl would be swooning at such a thing. The sound of his voice, the way it'd felt being held in his arms, the shock through her entire system she felt when he'd touched her in effort to help her back in the woods...

Shaking her head, she cleared her throat, then, "Well, aren't you going to ask me?"

"Ask you what exactly?" His eyes slowly lifted to meet hers.

She tried to smile. "About my relationship with my father?"

His eyes held hers for what seemed like an eternity. "You haven't exactly been forthcoming about yourself, so no, not really."

She looked away, then down at her fingers that were tapping together. In her head she questioned what she was doing. It'd meant to be banter-y fun but talk about family with her was never a good idea. First there was his misfortunes, now here she was practically inviting her own demons out to play.

Buffy first thought about her father, Ethan. Her body warmed like it was being sun-kissed at even the thought of him... his smiling face, the way he'd look at her mother, how he'd pick her up in the air and spin their bodies around and around. It'd always been hidden, a secret, her and her mother seeing him. She was vague on her earliest memories but when she got older she never really questioned how they went about it. She took to it, went with the story told to her, kept it a secret from everyone else. It was like a game almost.

She remembered playing with him, tea parties, dancing, learning how to ride a horse. She remembered being young and carefree. When she got older, things turned a little more serious, and she began to realize the situation she was in. Coming to him with concerns, he began teaching and sharing with her many other things... learning how to hunt, for example, in the event something bad were ever to arise...

And soon those happy memories started to fade... she began to remember the last few times she was her father, his family... her family...

Buffy thought of Hank then. He was her acting father, her technical step-father... though he hadn't known that for half of her life. She couldn't remember ever being exactly fond of him, but at least when she was younger she had some good memories, some connection to him. As she got older however she began to drift away... from being closer to Ethan, seeing how miserable her mother always was, noticing how he was never much of a father to her really...

She remembered how distant he always seemed to be with her, how she was always some sort of trophy or something in public but behind closed doors didn't know what to do with her. More and more as she got older, too. And then... when their world all fell... she remembered him then... how cold and heartless he was, how he tortured those she loved, killed them without batting an eyelash. She remembered the hate on his face, radiating from him as he looked at her...

Buffy closed her eyes, wishing the images that haunted her away.

She shook her head, then noticed his eyes on her. Her head turned and again her green eyes met his brown ones. She wasn't sure if it was the look on his face, the feeling in the air, the pressure from the silence, or what... but in that moment it was like he could see into her soul, as if he could see exactly what her mind was showing, how it was tearing at her heart.

His hand slowly came up, fingers gently brushing her shoulder. "Are you okay?" he asked softly.

She searched his face another moment before swallowing. "You know, don't you?"

OoOoO

The worlds as a whole were in a single line, stretching from one end to another, kingdoms ranging greatly from one to another.

Each land, each kingdom was greatly different from the rest. From the way they governed to their customs to the very look of their particular area. Each of the kingdoms were unique, though each also shared a number of qualities all the same.

None were more mysterious than Wolfram and Hart though, especially not since the curse. They'd always been something to talk about but after the curse came to be they went into legendary status to the rest of the worlds. Actually being in The Dark Realm didn't exactly clear much up either, Buffy learned. More questions popped up no matter how many answers she found. And many questions remained without.

The kingdom was shut out from the rest of the worlds... there was an entire wall doming them in all around from one side to another, from the bottom of the ground to the top of the sky. Yet there was the sky, there was the sun, the moon and the stars. The curse had brought their dreadful weather but had never flooded them into complete oblivion. No matter how much the rain poured down, it seemed to remain consistent with how it effected each area. Houses and other buildings were able to be built and remain without being washed away, roads were built and while they were always covered in water it remained more or less at the same height, parts of the woods on one side were always waist-deep to the average man or woman, ect. They were not heavily populated after the curse set in, but had still managed to survive, and without inbreeding becoming the way of life. They worked around not having proper sunlight to grow food, their animals and people adapted to their surroundings, despite being cut off from other worlds the majority of the time they had learned many of the modern ways of life from transportation to communication.

There were photographs and videos of Wolfram and Hart that the others had, but it was still hard to imagine their world outside of these walls. What they were living with was so unheard of and how could anyone truly imagine it?

Their people were just as mysterious. It was known that everyone here had magic in them and that it could range from something simple to being something dangerous. Fro being here herself she'd gotten to know a little more about this... that they had people here who were healers-like Wesley to people who got flashes of the future-like Tara.

At every twist and turn it seemed like there was something new to learn here. So as she couldn't get back to sleep, she'd gone to one of the libraries and set out on doing her own research.

OoOoO

When the large double doors of the library opened, Buffy yawned, rubbing her eyes. Soon she spotted Angelus and her breath sucked in tight when his eyes met hers. She didn't know what was happening to her but ever since their previous meeting she had a strange feeling in the pit of her stomach every time she even thought about him.

Angelus' head tilted as his eyes locked in on hers. He looked tired and surprised to see her... and something else she couldn't quite place. He took a few steps towards her. "I thought you left," he said, his voice rather hoarse.

She swallowed. "I... I did," she answered, feeling like she was on autopilot.

The two stared at one another, almost like in a trance. Both looked like there was more they wanted to add, Buffy knew there were a long line of things running through her head, but nothing came.

Finally Wesley cleared his throat and reminded everyone there was a busy morning ahead and started leading Angelus away.

OoOoO

As Buffy watched them fade out of sight, her mind began wandering back to just hours before when she'd last been around the king, learning he'd figured out who she really was.

Angelus had sighed, dropping his hand from her. "Giles had a theory," he'd told her.

She swallowed hard, taking a step back. "A theory about what?" she questioned, her tone having a hint of sharpness to it.

He'd turned from her, taking small steps around the room. "About who you might be," he answered. "Where it is you came from and what it is you've been running from."

She didn't question him on whether he was right or not, she didn't seem to see a point to that. "How did he figure it out?" was what she asked him instead.

Angelus pinched his nose. He didn't seem to want to be having this conversation at all. He turned back to her, taking cautious steps until he reached her. One hand came up, dancing up her side until it reached the general area of where she knew her own kingdom's mark was placed on her body. "Giles recognized the symbol after catching a glance," Angelus told her. "He started putting things together after that... then came to me with it."

She remained silent for a few very tense moments, her mind racing a mile a minute. This had not been part of her plan. Hell, most that had happened since her feet touched ground over here had been part of her plan. She'd known there was always the chance she'd be found out here... but not once had this particular scenario played across her mind before.

Raising her chin up, "What are you going to do?" she asked the king. Her eyes were shooting daggers she was sure, her body was tense, like it was prepared to fight its way out of here if need be.

Angelus' hand dropped away from her once more and he took a step back. His own eyes seemed to harden. As did his tone. "I am not going to 'do' anything, Elizabeth."

Her jaw clenched and her eyes flickered around the room, her mind planning an escape.

The king let out a noise similar to a growl which made her jump, her hands making fists at her side. "Don't," he commanded.

"What happened to I can leave whenever I please?" she asked.

She saw one of his own hands fisting at his side. "What is it you think I am going to do here, Elizabeth?" he asked her, his voice stern, hard. "I have no contact with anyone outside of this kingdom for three more years. I have no idea how to get anyone in or out of these walls. Hell, I am still mostly lost on how you even got here. And even if I did.." he sighed, rubbing a hand down his face. "You are free to stay here," he said, his voice softening. "You can stay in my land, hell, even in the damn mansion if you want. Yes, you are free to leave if you want as well. You can go back over the wall if you know how, go back to where you came from or go anywhere else your heart desires. You can go out those doors and go run through the woods like you intended. You could go get your own place and start a whole new life here. I'm not going to do anything to you, Elizabeth. And I sure as fucking hell am not going to be the one casting you out. I'm not going to be inviting anyone into my land to come after you. I am not going to be the one tossing you out there to be slaughtered by Hank Summers. Lets get that real clear."

With his last statement, Buffy saw his eyes flash a yellow-gold and he looked away quickly.

"Why not?" she asked him, her voice hard, and the words coming out of her like she was on autopilot.

She watched his head tilt back and his eyes squeeze shut. His head turned and he looked like he was going to say something but then just threw his hands in the air and turned back away from her. He walked over and grabbed his empty glass then went for the door on the other side of the room.

OoOoO

She'd remained in the same spot for several minutes before letting out a shaky breath she'd been holding. Her fingers clenched and unclenched at her sides. Her mind was still racing and her emotions were just all over the place. She didn't know what to do. The idea of fleeing was comforting... that was all she'd known for so long. It was something she knew she was quite good at, too. But for the first time, the idea also seemed haunting, a sense of dread with it.

Buffy knew it was true about him being unable to alert anyone that she'd been found. Also after everything she knew about the king of The Dark Realm, she did truly believe him, that he wouldn't allow be serving her up on a silver platter to Hank or throw her out against her will... but there were so many other things that staying here could lead to.

But her other options were a short list as well.

She began pacing, weighing her options. She could stay, give it a try here. She could leave the mansion but return the woods. She could use the fairy dust to make a way back over the walls. She could try to run somewhere else.

She could spend the rest of her life running. Or, at the very least, the rest of Hank's. Whichever came first.

OoOoO

Before she knew what she was doing, Buffy was racing through the halls of the mansion and returning to her room. She began gathering up her things in a rush then began making her way out of the mansion. She tried remembering everything she could about what was waiting outside and how she'd get out of this area without drawing the attention of those waiting at the gates.

She stepped out on a balcony and began making quick work of lowering herself down to the ground. She took a single step before it was like a wave hit her and stopped. A feeling she couldn't understand overtook her. She saw as much as felt the change to the large home behind her. The lights in the house dimmed upon her leaving, though not as bad as they were when she first arrived, but it was like the air around it darkened somehow as well.

Angelus suddenly popped in her mind as it was like she couldn't breathe. She didn't want to leave she realized, and the idea scared her to her very core.

She looked away from the house, the street before her, and just off into the distance. Yes, running away was what she knew and it even held some twisted version of 'safe' to her but in this moment it truly hit her of how tired she was of running away. Falling to the ground, tears formed in her eyes and soon began falling as the past decade of her life crashed through her. Not just from losing her family, her friends, her home... but all the years of running, going from one place to another, always scared, never having a place to feel safe. She thought of her own loneliness, craving everything she lost and believed in all her heart she'd never have again. Images of almost getting caught, of injuries she'd suffered over the years, sleepless nights... she thought of always being on the outside of everything, of staring from a distance at people, watching them live their lives, go home, to work, having conversations, going on dates, playing with their children.

Buffy thought of her short time here... and what she had not only gained so far, but what else could be waiting. That she may have a secure place to stay, to be, no more running. That she'd had real meals, a full stomach... that she could have that anytime she desired. She'd gotten to shower and bath, sleep in a real bed. She'd heard music, read books, had simple pleasures available all around her. She'd had regularly conversations... had gotten to know people.

Buffy knew this could all end very badly for her. Endless possibilities of that. But then again wasn't that the case for anyone, anywhere all the same? At least she had a shot here, her best one. Isn't that why she came here? Isn't that why she was led here by others, given help along the way?


	6. Chapter Six

After a shower and getting ready Angelus was feeling a little more alive. Seeing Elizabeth earlier didn't hurt either, giving him quite a jolt. He didn't expect her to have returned, thought she was long gone by now upon waking up in his bleary state remembering how empty he felt when he knew she'd left several hours before. He wanted to talk to her, though had no idea what he would say, but for now he knew that would have to wait.

With a sigh, he found his way through the mansion and began his last briefing before he was to make a statement. A big one at that. Today they were going to mention Elizabeth, though not by name, to the people of Wolfram and Hart. He was to address their concerns and try to give them some comfort, to mention the mystery surrounding the loss of their never-ending storm, how there was a stranger to their land here, a young woman, and it was believed she had something to do with it though they were investigating more information on that still.

It was going to be a very crazy morning.

OoOoO

Buffy learned of the plan to mention her from Giles and Lilah. They assured her that at this time there would be no mention of her name or her whereabouts, but slight information being given to the people here. She felt that bubble of panic but at the same time she thought of the position all of them were in and how little the people of this land knew. She agreed to it, though she was sure it would happen either way.

She watched the conference from the mansion. Angelus was dressed more formally for it, looking much more like the king he was than just some handsome stranger. She remembered seeing a photo of him from when he was first crowned publicly that was in her school books, and as she thought about it she thought it was the only photo she remembered even seeing of him before. He looked much different now, that was for sure. He was calm and collected, and she noticed how his people hung on every word that he said. He had their full attention and an outpouring feeling of respect for their leader. Not all who ruled were hated nor loved but she never saw something quite like this.

Angelus gave his speech flawlessly. He smiled at all the right times, his tone flowed perfectly from a joking one to a serious one, he gave his people vital information about where they stood and assured them he was still searching for more answers. When the time for questions came he was kind and courteous to everyone, doing his best to give them what information they requested. There were times when he honestly did not know something and he was upfront about that, other times-like when there were digging for more information on her-when he would skirt around it.

"What are we going to do now?" was the final question.

He looked thoughtfully for a moment, then smiled. "We are going to continue our lives," he told them. "We are going to enjoy this sunshine that we've never know before. We are going to go to work and send our children to school. We will get to the bottom of this, we will be prepared for whatever else might be coming our way, but we will continue our lives as we have always done."

OoOoO

Buffy was about ready to fall over from not getting any sleep and so much stress catching up to her. She'd gone out onto the balcony off of the main library with a handful of books to let the fresh air wake her up some, but now that was wearing off. She closed the book in her hands and was starting to get up when Rupert Giles stepped out to join her. She greeted him again with a smile and they fell into easy small talk. Buffy watched as he walked to the edge, looking out past the yard, the streets, on to where there was still darkness over parts of the land, storms and rain falling in the far distance.

"What would you say to trying out an experiment while you're here, Miss Summers?" he asked her.

OoOoO

Buffy went to go get dressed and grab a few of her things while Rupert told her his plans from the other room as she got ready. She then followed him through the mansion, heading for one of the cars. Before she left, Tara grabbed her hand telling her to "pay attention" and how "all will soon be revealed." She wanted to ask more but was led off to the back of a large black vehicle before she got the chance.

It was her, Giles and the driver, Marcus Hamilton, in the car though there were several others following behind them. As they traveled the two men told her about the town and she was delighted to learn more, loving looking out the window and seeing the area in better detail from here. She took in the streets, the scenery, houses, buildings, faces of those they passed by.

As they continued on, they started heading away from where the light had spread and the dark began to come to life. Once more, the sky opened up above them, following her. The car itself seemed to glow under the dark sky.

Buffy was suddenly unsure of how much of a good idea this was knowing that just hours before Angelus had brought her up to this world, explaining as much as he could about the sun returning because of her. She looked over at Giles but he seemed lost in another world as he examined the unfolding situation around them.

When they came to what seemed like a more permanent stop, Buffy noticed it was slightly brighter. She scooted back closer to the tinted windows and peeked seeing them in front of a large, old looking building and a number of people outside. She felt twitchy as they sat there waiting.

When the door opened and Angelus slipped inside, she found herself sucking in a large breath. The light grew even brighter around them and when he touched her leg while getting settled in, the sky really opened up as it had before... the clouds parting on their own from the spot they were in, travelling in all directions. Watching it play out made her almost dizzy.

"You okay?"

Buffy let out the breath slowly. "Is that because of you?" she asked. She had heard brief bits and pieces over the past few days, even had some slight memories and she had been living in the mansion under bright sunshine but this was still a hard pill to swallow.

He looked at her for a moment. "Yes," he said before quickly shaking his head. "Maybe. I don't know."

She knew it had to do with her somehow, that it was something connected between the two of them... it had to be... but it made no sense to her at all. "Why?" she asked, looking at him, Giles, then back to the king.

Angelus' mouth opened but all he did was sigh after a moment. "I don't know," he repeated.

Buffy's eyes went back to Giles. He did nearly the same as the king, though he looked more like he wanted to say something but all she got was how they were looking into it and some generic information, adding in how this was part of the 'test' he'd wanted to try out.

"This is why you asked me to come?"

"Well, I wanted to see first hand how some things worked with you," Giles told her. "We are still trying to figure all of this out, any new information is helpful. There is also the fact of some of the kingdom remains in darkness and I thought perhaps we could change that. And also we thought that it might just be good for you to get out some. King Hart has a busy schedule and will be doing a bit of traveling given everything going on and thought you might want to go along, too. At least to some of it.

Buffy's eyes went back to the king.

"You don't have to do anything," Angelus told her. "Everybody is just looking for answers. Plus it'll give your more freedom and more of a cover. You don't need to be locked up in the mansion all the time... we just want to make sure you are protected, too. That's all."

Buffy looked down, nodding her head slowly. Answers would be good. As always, it seemed like there were just more questions.

OoOoO

They made a few brief stops before heading back. Angelus had a number of things he'd had to take care of so she was left to wander and explore some, though mostly she found herself caught up in her minds thoughts. And by the time they pulled through the gates she had a headache and was too tired to make sense of anything at all anymore.

That night, as always, Buffy found herself dreaming of her past... the nightmare that sent her world into a downward spin, the past several years of running from it all... but tonight she also dreamt of something knew. First, there was another past... the one of Wolfram and Hart, images that made no sense to her. She saw flashes as a third party as the curse was cast, but also at times it was as though she was looking through someone else's eyes. Secondly, there were dreams, flashes, of a future... another that made no sense... she saw her and Angelus. The skies of Wolfram and Hart were being lit up like was currently planned, there were flashes of intimate moments between the two of them, what looked like a celebration... But even scarier than the images were the feelings behind them that seeped into her as they happened.

Buffy woke with a start, finding herself drenched in sweat. She looked around the room to make sure she wasn't escaping this place before the walls were up and the floods hit, making sure she wasn't back in Acathla as her parents were murdered, that she wasn't lost in some other land on her way here, that Hank hadn't caught up to her and was about to kill and torture her too, or that she wasn't in bed underneath the warm body of this land's king as the last thing she remembered before waking up would suggest.

Buffy shook her head, rationalizing everything before that turned into a self-scolding. The last thing she needed was to be putting Angelus Hart in those types of thoughts, or having them at all to begin with. She had much bigger things to be worrying about every second of every day without trying to romanticize the idea of this world's king.

OoOoO

Angelus hadn't been able to sleep, his mind once again not wanting to shut up long enough for that. He'd found himself in front of Elizabeth's door, sliding down to the floor with his back against it, just resting there as she slept. It wasn't peaceful, he could make that out... he knew what that was like, it was rare for him to get through the night without being terrorized by whatever his mind decided to haunt him with.

He closed his eyes, his head falling back against the door as well. He'd wanted to talk to her all day but everything was so crazy and even now he had no idea what he'd say to her. He was glad that before they parted for the night he'd gotten the chance to at least tell her he was glad she decided to stay, which was the understatement of a lifetime. He felt whole when she was even near... which was laughable as that was something he knew he'd never be.

Then that kind of thinking led his thoughts back to the woman who'd appeared in the mirror, to things the watchers had told him, even some of the strange events he'd been witness to over the course of the past few days since her arrival here. He had no idea what any of it meant, and he refused to accept the current theory. His entire family had gone mad from this curse, he was bound and determined to be the one to handle it differently. He'd accepted his fate the best that he could and gave up what the rest of them had clung to and made them who they were. Hell, to be honest, he never had any to begin with so therefore it wasn't really a big deal.

Hope.

He'd accepted things as they were. Now... there was this.

OoOoO

When he heard the night terrors finally get the worst of her, waking her out of the trouble slumber, Angelus quietly got up and started back for his own room.


	7. Chapter Seven

Buffy had been in The Dark Realm for just over two weeks. She had gone with Angelus and several others to a few different places across their land, currently on the complete opposite from where she'd first entered in. A large portion of the kingdom was now free of the darkened clouds and ever-lasting rain they'd all known for over a century and a half. This gave her a lot more freedom to do things without being singled out-at least for the time being, but there was no single streak above her, following her where the sky had opened up so it did her some wonders for now. The reach of the light seemed to have picked up speed as well. It was still brighter above her, especially when it was her and Angelus together somewhere, but it was moving away quicker now, bleeding a little faster out to the still-covered areas.

Angelus had been busy with a lot of reassuring his public, slowly giving them answers to questions everyone had-ones he even had answers about. And the king was hardly the only one with a lot on his plate, it seemed everyone was slowly trying to get over the shock and somewhat going back to their normal lives-so to speak. People began trying to clear up the mudiness, looking into outside farming, construction screws surveying areas... scientists studying, the watcher's researching...

Buffy did her best to stay out of the way, but she helped when she could, asked questions when it seemed they all needed a break from whatever they were looking into, did her own research of things.

But since arriving on this side of the kingdom some things were becoming a little more troublesome for her. Her nightmares were almost all of the past-of the time when the curse was cast. She would still see through a third party view but most of the time it was back to as if she were someone else, watching the destruction unfold before her. Some images would be clear as day, other times it was just a lot of flashes going too fast. She would almost feel what the person was feeling, but she could never hear words or thoughts. She could see people talking to her, or screaming all around, but it was like it was all on mute.

One night, everything was particularly bothersome to her. She saw the 'before' in brief flashes, the kingdom before the curse, how things once were through this person's eyes. She watched as the town was entered by the witch and as people of this land started falling victim to her wicked plans. Buffy watched in horror as the people turned on one another, as the kingdom became a near war-zone. She watched, felt, as they ran and ran, stopping in a middle of chaos and searching all around for something, spotting something-someone-in the distance and going towards them. As they got closer, Buffy woke with a start.

She knew the face from history books and from various places in Angelus' mansion.

It was the face of Angelus' great-grandfather.

OoOoO

Buffy was scratching at her arm, feeling nervous. Everyone was busy as they spoke to one another, getting breakfast in and going over their plans for the day.

"Are you alright?" she finally heard someone ask her.

She blinked hard before lifting her head up, seeing a few faces now turned toward her. She took a deep breath then asked, "Is there a way to see the past?"

Silence fell for a few moments before Giles put the book in his hands down onto the table in front of him. "What do you mean?"

She let out another deep breath. "I don't know really," she answered then took a seat. "I've just been having dreams for awhile, dreams that don't make a lot of sense to me, and they've gotten worse in the past few days."

"You're bothering us about some dreams you're having?" Lilah asked, annoyed.

"Lilah," Angelus growled. Next he gathered a few of them and decided to take their discussion to another room.

Buffy felt foolish now even bringing it up. "It's probably nothing," she grumbled.

"It bothered you enough to bring it up with us, so what's going on?"

Buffy went over to the closest chair and sat back down. "I keep seeing flashes for the most part, but it's as if I am reliving the time when the curse was cast here in my dreams. Sometimes it's like I'm on the outside looking in, almost floating above everything, but most of the time it is as if I am seeing it first-hand through someone. And I know that must sound silly and stupid, but it feels all too real and there's just so much..." Buffy sighed. "I used to have nightmares about this place when I was younger, after hearing about what had happened. I would wake up screaming, terrified Acathla was going to be cursed next. But this is nothing like those dreams at all. Everything's too real."

"What happens in these dreams?" Wesley asked.

She shrugged, curling up tighter into the chair then she did her best to describe what she would see. The brief bits of happiness and laughter, the town, the people, homes, a festival it looked like going on. Then things taking a dark turn, the air growing dark, the people starting to change. She described watching fires being set, fights breaking out, everything around them being destroyed. Horrific acts between the three founding families, glimpses of what she thought were the very witch, and then leading up to her final image... the one of her running, chasing after someone... heading toward Angelus' great-grandfather. She described the images she remembered seeing, but more so the feelings that came with it. The happiness, then the panic, the confusion to the tingle sensation when trying to catch the remaining founder.

The room around her fell quiet again.

OoOoO

Wesley's eyes were wide, Giles' head tilted, Angelus clenched his jaw.

A number of things she was describing she wouldn't have been able to know. Not from her land, not even from public records here. Some of it, absolutely, but there were a handful of things that had been kept as private as possible.

One particular thing? The events that led up to the saving of his ancestor, and this land.

Only those on the inside knew about the real story, the legend of the so-called angel who saved them all. A lot of details were left out to the public, who really didn't care, they were just thankful to have survived the ordeal. And less than that spoken to the rest of the kingdoms.

But the last thing she was describing sounded eerily familiar to the legend of that particular incident.

OoOoO

"There's something else, too," Buffy said. She looked down, watching her fingernails scratch at her arm in a nervous habit. She'd never given much thought to any of this, though had heard it briefly mentioned in her life. "I have another connection to Wolfram and Hart. Sort of."

"How so?" Wesley asked, intrigued.

"It's not much, I don't think... but..." Buffy paused. Two weeks in and she had still kept her cards very close to the vest. "According to what my mother had told me years and years ago... my great-great-grandmother on her side of the family had just graduated high school and decided to go see The Oracles afterward. She felt as though she didn't know what to do next and wanted some guidance. So, the family went on a trip. Before they got to there, she met someone. She said she instantly fell in love and felt she no longer needed to go because she was going to be with this boy and make a life with him. Her parents didn't agree, didn't approve of the boy, so she wound up running away with him." Buffy paused again, looking at the ground. "The boy had just finished school recently himself, and had been traveling some on his way to take a job. In Wolfram and Hart. She had grabbed up what things she could from their vehicle and jumped into his pretty much, and together they came out here to make a life," she told them. "They married very quickly, and it was only a few short months before things started to take a turn here. She watched her husband get killed in the madness. She barely made it out of here alive her own self. The walls were starting to go up, the flooding just starting to take wave when she got out. She went back home to Acaltha after this. She remained to have a strained relationship with her parents but as she soon found out she was with child, they tried to all do what was right."

OoOoO

Everyone sat stunned, then Wesley asked for the name of Buffy's ancestor.

"Angelica Walker. People called her Angel."

Angelus began to laugh.

Buffy's head tilted his way and she gave a strange look.


	8. Chapter 8

"Well," Angel said, pinching the bridge of his nose, "He did say it was an angel." Everyone's eyes fell on him and Angel just shrugged before shaking his head and taking a seat.

A question and answer session as well as doing a hurried rush of research and the group were all left rather stunned. They re-read the file, finding an old photo and handing it to Buffy. "That her?"

The small blonde nodded after a moment.

Angel shook his head, laughing before tilting his back some and pinching the bridge of his nose again.

"That is..." Giles began, sliding his glasses off from his face.

"Unbelievable," Wes finished, doing a similar motion with his own.

Buffy raised an eyebrow and finally the others began to fill her in some in what the stories she'd been told had left out. They told her about more about how the curse had come to be and what it had led to, of Angel's great-grandfather's story of why he'd suddenly been woken up from the spell by what he said was an angel, how it had saved all of them. And how now that they were putting the pieces together and with the help of the two witches they had managed to get a glimpse into that night, it seemed that this angel was Buffy's ancestor. That the angel Angelus was named after was her ancestor. That the woman who had saved all of them, saved this land was her very own flesh and blood.

"I think I need to sit down now," Buffy muttered, her eyes wide as she let everything start to sink in. This was all far too much for her mind to wrap around.

OoOoO

Buffy rubbed at her forehead. This had been a very long and strange day.

She had gone over what little she knew of Angelica Walker and the rest of her family with everyone. It'd been by chance that she'd even know about the portion of Angelica's life spent here as everyone seemed to go out of their way to act as though it never happened. Buffy went through her family line with them though, on both Joyce and Ethan's sides of her tree, though the further back they ventured they less information she had.

Buffy told of her life while growing up before shit had hit the fan in her life. She told them about her family, of how Joyce and Ethan were together, how magical the world seemed when the two of them were together. She explained how they were always sneaking around, making it into a game for her, how they always seemed to have an answer for every question she brought up as she grew older. Buffy told them about her home land some, about her life as the princess.

Buffy went over what had happened to her beloved parents and the rest of her living family at Hank Summers' hands and what had happened to her after that as well. She described the ten year old girl running from such a scene and trying to figure out what in the world she was going to do next. She described what the ast ten years of her life had been like-in a nutshell, and how several events had steered her this way.

This continued on to her journey to Wolfram and Hart on through everything that had happened since her arrival.

She had answered the questions thrown at her the best she could, asked many more of her own, they had all gone over theories and everything else they could think of. But it still seemed like a long trail of more questions at every turn. If it wasn't over one thing, it was another.

Buffy looked up when she heard someone at the door and watched as Mister Giles stepped inside. He gave a weak smile and brought over a glass of ice water for her before slowly sitting down in a seat at the table beside her. "I have no idea what any of this means," she told him after several minutes had passed, the two having just sat in silence together.

"I believe you," he told her, sitting up some in his chair. "And we are still searching endlessly for answers, for one thing or another, as we have been. But I would like to say that I don't believe you being here is accidental."

Buffy sighed. "It does seem like there's too much for it to be a big coincidence," she had to admit. She didn't know why it seemed her family had some weird connection to this place or to the Hart family even, whatever so-called powers they might have meant, or what in the world all of this had in store for her. But it seemed like it had to be leading to something. And that it now had to do with her somehow. "But I have no idea what the reasoning would be. I don't have any clue as to why it was my ancestor who was here all those many years ago, why she was the one able to reach Angel's great-grandfather and help put a stop to the madness during the curse. I don't really know much of anything about her at all, it was just something I overheard in passing and no one ever wanted to talk about. The portion of her life when she was here was always just skipped over and everyone wanted to just pretend it never happened. As far as I know, nothing else was 'special' about anyone-not until my mother when it came to her and Ethan Rayne. And I don't know why it was her, why it was them, how any of that is supposed to work. It just was. Someone she was one half of a beautiful love and somehow I wound up a product of that. I have been told that I am supposed to possess something great many, many times because of that but it had never meant anything to me. It had been nothing but a curse. Their unbreakable love was beautiful, but it also got them killed. It's why I have been running for half of my life from someone wanting to kill me too because of what I am. That's about the lot of it. I've been on the run, I've gotten sick, been hurt, been hunted. I have gotten lucky many times and had some extraordinary help at times, but nothing like what happened when I got here has ever been a part of my life. It all surprised me as much as all of you. I don't know why I was told to come here entirely but I know why I felt like it was my only option. I don't know why I have some connection here and have been messing with the curse you've been living with for over a hundred years. And I don't know what's supposed to happen next. I don't know. Why them, why me. Why then, why now. Anything."

Giles took a long drink from his own cup, then opened one of the books he had with him. "I don't have many answers for you either," he said. "I wish I did. But I do believe there is a reason you are here, that there is a connection to you, your family, this place and to the Hart's. We all know you have been affecting our land since you arrived, slowly it seems even breaking the curse little by little. And maybe that's why you are here, though I couldn't tell you why it is you or why not either."

Buffy laid her head down on her crossed arms upon the table and the two of them sat in silence for awhile.

"I think something will happen with you and Angelus."

Buffy's eyes opened at the return of the older man's voice. "Something?" she asked. "Like what?"

OoOoO

Standing back in front of the many paintings of the Hart family, Buffy found her way to the one of Angel's great-grandfather and stood. Her head tilted to the side slightly as she focused on the man. He was older here in the painting than in most of the photos she remembered of him as well as the backlog of nightmares that he had been a part to. Older, angrier.

Buffy thought of her last conversation with Rupert Giles and felt a shiver run through her. Giles had told her more of how the curse on Wolfram and Hart had affected this family. While he had managed to come to his senses at the right time, seemingly due to her own great-great-grandmother, and had gone out of his way to save his land and rebuild everything back up, he had lost a good part of himself. He had changed. He had slowly sunk into a dark hole that would haunt everyone in this family. His entire world had been attacked by evil. His land had been destroyed, lost, changed forever. The people here mostly all killed during the utter chaos. The entire Ram and Wolf families now gone, his whole family gone as well. He was the only one left standing at the end of it all. It fell on him to go after the witch, to snap the others out of it, and to later rebuild everything from the ground up as the new, sole leader. But it had all taken it's toll on him. Slowly, the king had begun to change, to darken. And by the end of his reign, he was hardly anything of the man he used to be.

A dark cloud ran through this land, and not just in terms of the weather, but of the cold king. He became more known for his temper and ruthlessness than much else. He struck fear in every heart in this world, and no one was safe from it.

He had taken a new wife in order to leave an heir behind when his time came. She was nothing to him. He used her as an example to the public when he saw fit, abused and humiliated her. Her life would end in more tragedy after the child was born, protecting her young on one of her husband's more wicked nights.

There was a third and later a fourth wife as well. All being taken away in one horrible tragedy or another.

Buffy stepped over to the next ruler, Angelus' grandfather.

Angel and he shared a few physical attributes, their eyes and nose similar, though you had to look closely to see it. The Hart's all looked angry and cold, harden faces, nothing all too pleasing. That was why she had made the remark of how he must have taken after his mother's side as there was very little of Angelus Hart to be shared with these people. That and their dark hair was all that the current king seemed to share with any of these monsters.

Angelus' grandfather followed in his own father's footsteps in many ways. He had been a troubled child from the start. Many illnesses through his young life on top of a bad attitude. He'd been accused of many things through his young life... everything from torturing animals to starting fires to drowning classmates. When he became king he had an arranged marriage, though that did not stop him from straying. It was kept under wraps as best as it could be, but he was known for having forced himself on several women. When his wife tried to leave him he killed her family and locked her up. She spent her years after this locked away, mostly forgotten.

She had become very ill from her new way of living though had eventually fallen pregnant and later gave birth to a baby boy, Angel's father. Her death was long and painful but she had done her best to raise her son in the hell they were in.

Buffy swallowed as she made her way to Angel's father's portrait. He had taken the thrown, killing his father and becoming king. He continued the Hart tradition of being an awful leader. Yes, he made some good choices and he kept things afloat, but he was also ruthless and terrifying as they had been. He carried the dramatic flare, lording over everyone that he was in control at every possible chance presented before him.

Once more, a woman was brought into the picture, a son was born. The wife lost her life, the son abused, and the darkness only growing.

Buffy closed her eyes for a minute, picturing the current leader. "Why are you so different?" she whispered out loud.

OoOoO

"There is darkness inside of him, there is no denying that, but Angelus has always been different from them," Giles had told her during their talk.

"Do you think that has to do with how things are now?"

The watcher nodded. "Not sure of the details, but I think there's been more to it than just luck of the draw. I have said he must be the key to something many, many times since getting to know him. He may not have stopped the rain as you did, but he's made countless changes to everyone's lives since he took over the crown. He has done his best to fix the mistakes his blood line left behind and to keep anything like that from happening again."

"He told me he was cursed."

The watcher nodded again. "We're all cursed here, in one way or another," Giles said. "And yes, the one set on the Hart family is certainly there with him, but it's not affected him in the same way. He has a temper, and he has had his moments, but he's not the walking evil that the rest were. He's made mistakes, but none of them compare. His mother died during child birth and his father was... well, you get the idea. Angelus was raised by staff when he was younger and everyone did their best to protect him. Everyone always seemed drawn to him for some reason. He was a bright young boy, he loved to learn anything and everything. He never liked to complain, just sort of rolled with the punches. It only made his father more upset it seemed. It was like he wanted to break him and never could. His father finally just tied him up one day and that became his life. Everyone was forbidden to go see him, to take care of him, anything... though there were more than a few instances where those rules were broken and staff members would go check on him and try their best to comfort him or care for him. When his father had taken his life, they almost couldn't get to Angelus. His father had bolted the hell out of that door. It was nearly impossible to get in there."

"His father didn't want him found," Buffy said, horrified.

"No, he didn't. And it's a miracle he was got to in time. He was nothing more than a shell of that bouncing dark-haired boy he was once was. He was deathly ill, no one thought he would pull through at first. He was but skin and bones-and most of those bones broken. He was tattered-bloody, thin, pale, sick, malnourished, starved, broken, bruised and beaten. You could barely make out it was him."

Buffy felt tears stinging her eyes, her heart aching for King Hart and the trials he had been forced to face in his own life.

"Angelus was taken to the hospital and given the best care that anyone here could provide. When he was stable enough, he got to come home and continue his treatments. And he began to be prepped to become the new king. Officially, anyway. He was bound and determined to change things and he made that very clear from the start. It took some time, but everyone here began to accept him like he hoped they would. As time continued on, that only grew. Everyone is beyond thankful for him now and for all that he has done for the people of Wolfram and Hart. He has tried to help out with everything he can and he is respected for that. He's protected this land and these people, not been the very thing they've been hiding from or what has been keeping them down. He was the sun here, before the one you brought."

OoOoO

Buffy felt as though she now knew quite a bit about the Hart family, that including Angelus, and yet she found herself searching for more on into the wee hours of the night. She groaned as she uncrossed her legs, moving piles of paperwork, books, newspaper clippings and more off of her in the process. Buffy wasn't exactly sure what it was she was hoping to find or even what she was looking for with all of this.

Groaning again, Buffy rubbed her legs, then her eyes. She glanced around the room, her eyes again falling on the massive pile of large bags that had been sitting there for a few days now. She knew one of the workers here at the mansion, Olivia, had brought them in and had been part of the buying brigade as had Willow and Tara. That she knew of anyway. With a sigh, Buffy forced herself up off the floor of her bedroom and made her way over to the pile.

Buffy was careful as she began to go through each of the bags before her. She pulled out one item after another, looking each item inside over.

Buffy felt her chest tighten as she went through everything. Everyone here was going above and beyond anything she'd expected and sometimes it was a little too overwhelming. Having been alone and living as she had for so long... there was so many things she'd lost... so many things she would never take for granted again in her life.

Buffy neatly folded the clothes they had brought her up and put them away. They'd gotten her just a few pieces of jewelry along with a handful of accessories, including a new bag, a few belts and scarves, and a few pairs of shoes. There were two bags full of books, which surprised her given how many libraries the house alone seemed to have, but she glanced them over before finding a spot to place them up on. There were many toiletry items which made her smile brightly. Everything from health products to simple pleasures. She read over the items and then put them back in the bags to start carrying them toward her bathroom.

Now seemed as good of a time as any to do one thing she'd been craving for so very, very long.

Buffy started to undress, wrapping a towel around herself as she set her new items up around the large restroom ajoining her new bedroom, then quickly brushed her hair out. Reading over some of the labels, Buffy started to run the water in the shower and placing a few items along the shelves and grabbing some washcloths. With a sigh, she put the towel up on one of the racks in the room and stuck her hand in under the water once more before climbing inside the shower stall.

She had showered and bathed several times since arriving here but tonight she planned to actually get clean. Bathing hadn't always been easy in the past decade and that life she'd been leading had taken it's toll on her in every way imaginable. So as she stood, enjoying the hot spray of water, she began to attempt at rinsing away years of grime and dirt off of her. She wound up scrubbing herself nearly raw in the process, but it felt like heaven to her when she was done.

When she finally came out of the shower, Buffy wrapped one large towel around her body then found another to put around her hair. She couldn't remember how to make a wrap out of it as she did when she was younger for the life of her, but she made due. She waited a few minutes then wiped away at the hot steam on the mirror to look herself over before washing herself with a few more wash cloths and the sink. And then started with the details of her face, down her neck, cleaning under her fingernails, and continuing on from there until she was satisfied.

Buffy sat down on the edge of the tub for a long while, giving herself a break as she started to feel a tad dizzy from the heat, before she started to run a bath next. She was damn near giddy as she ran her fingers over her new goodies, deciding on what to use with it.

When the tub was halfway full with water and bubbles, Buffy once more unwrapped the towels from her body and sunk into the warm water with a sigh. She pulled her hair up in a ponytail and sunk herself lower into the water to get more comfortable. The water coming from the faucet sounded soothing, as did the vibrations it caused in the porcelain. It helped to numb her mind from all the rushing thoughts and questions for awhile and she savored that feeling.

When the water was about to spill over, Buffy used her feet to turn the water off. She inhaled deeply and closed her eyes.

OoOoO

Giles had talked with her about Angelus Hart for some time earlier. About his young childhood where he'd been living in a certain hell, through his recovery and taking his place as Wolfram And Hart's new leader, on through his era of being king.

Giles told her of all the wrong's he tried to make right here, of all the good he had done, not to mention the research she'd dug up on her own. He had tried to make things right with families his own had scorned, set new laws, erased old ones as well. He tried to do right, the best that he could. Not everyone agreed with every step he took, but the general thought here was he was doing his job better than anyone had in a long, long time.

Angel had gone out of his way to make sure everyone would be taken care of. No one was homeless in his land-unless they so chose, but he made sure that housing was available to anyone who needed it, as was food and currency. There was a set amount that every person here was entitled to by default, he had made sure of that. He used his own fortunes and put it out to his citizens. Angel had been on the front lines to tear old buildings down when needed, and right there in front to re-build something new. If there were concerns that came to his attention he was on top of it, always the best that he could be. He did his best to work with his people, to listen to them, protect them.

Angel was smart, still loving to learn everything he could. And that helped them with being more modernized here than she had been expecting. He took ideas that had been shared with him with other lands during his five year meet ups with the other leaders as well as his own ideas and those of the citizens here. He tried to learn everything so he could help with anything. Be that reading to children, helping to build new homes or buildings, helpful medical tricks, studying the law, and everything in between.

Giles had told her that Angel had always done his best to simply accept things as they were. And how the king saw that as one of the reasons he had stayed sane, unlike the others. And not just with his family but others in this world who had spent their whole lives trying to change the fate they had been dealt. He told her how Angelus' relatives had lined people up years and years ago, giving them a chance to fix the cursed lives, and slaughtering them when they failed. How men and women would spent their lives, lose their lives, trying to break through the walls surrounding them. Yes, Angel supported it being looked into, but he didn't obsess over it by a long shot.

Angel refused to follow down that route. As he did with many others, not wanting history to repeat itself.

He'd stayed as far from romantic relationships as he could she was told. He had no desire to find himself in a relationship let alone married to someone, not with his family's history there. Women who got involved with the Hart's had a tragic curse all of their own it seemed and he'd never wanted to be the cause of anything like that. Same with any notion of children. Angelus refused to have their line continue after him, that it wasn't worth it. How when he was gone, he wanted the people here to just figure something else out on their own.

He had also told her that he believed she was going to change that.

Giles had left her with one hell of a theory that her brain couldn't seem to shake away.


	9. Chapter Nine

Buffy closed her eyes, tightening the grip she had on her bow ever so slightly, just enjoying the warm sun hitting her and the cool breeze that came through. She felt more relaxed right now than she had in a good, long while.

She heard an arrow whiz by her and opened her eyes in time to watch it meet its target. She smiled then looked back behind her, seeing Angelus' large form come out of the tree he had been in and start moving closer. "Nice shot," she said as he passed her, mirroring their previous interaction in the woods. He smirked some. "Who taught you how to hunt?" she asked, following behind him as they headed toward the animal.

"Wes' father," he answered her.

Buffy's eyes scrunched up a little. "Don't really see a long line of hunters there, but it seems he taught you well."

Angelus glanced her way quickly, then continued with the animal on the ground. "Wes and Roger shared many of the same qualities, but were very different from one another," he told her. "Roger was a little more outdoorsey, a little more hands-on. He started training me almost as soon as I was well enough to." Angel looked down with a sigh. "He was a great teacher. Maybe a little too great. When the time came, he told me he had only done all of this in order for it to be a fair fight when he ended the Hart line."

"What happened?"

He sighed again. "I was ten years old when I became king. Roger took care of me, he helped train me in combat, hunting, everything. He and Giles did. They taught me everything from the law to cooking. They had been my family. And then, when I was barely thirteen, Roger came to me one day and told me it had all been part of his plan to end the reign of terror that the Hart's had been party to. It didn't matter that I was night and day when it came to those before me, I was still a Hart."

Buffy remembered being told the only kill Angelus had made was with Glory, but it was pretty obvious something must have happened to Roger Wyndam-Pryce as well.

"He had been showing me how to fight, how to hunt, how to properly use every weapon we have here. But he was also training Wes, too," Angel continued. "Roger was the Head Watcher and knew Wesley would be following in his footsteps one day, so he was killing two birds with one stone, as they say. Roger challenged me and I had refused to fight him. He tried to provoke me into it but I was still young, naive, and shell-shocked at the time. He paid no mind in the end, coming at me... and then there was Wes."

"He saved you?" Buffy asked, surprised.

The king nodded. "I don't think anyone saw that coming-least of all Roger. It all happened so fast..." Angel paused and then shook his head. "Wes never went hunting again. For some reason, it still felt therapeutic to me... so when I get a chance I come out here."

Right now, she could certainly understand that. This hadn't been a choice for her, just survival. But right now it didn't feel like it had for the past ten years, it just felt nice, safe. It felt like home.

OoOoO

Buffy had been surprised when Angelus had asked her if she wanted to come out with him but also thrilled at the idea. The past several days, hell the past several weeks here, had been so stressful and busy that a break sounded like heaven. They had gone over everything over and over, traveled all over Wolfram and Hart, and had decided to release more information about her to everyone. They had yet to say exactly who she was, but had brought up her connection to this world and what else they knew.

All of Wolfram And Hart now had light touching it. Days were bright and sunny on every inch of land now that they had traveled far enough in every direction. It still seemed to glow brighter with her, and near blinding whenever she and the king were close to one another.

Getting away from everything and everyone was wonderful. They'd come out to a very secluded area and made their way through the tangled mess of woods and began to hunt and talk. Angelus would tell her about different animals here, what to hunt, what to look out for... same with what berries and such were safe, plants, and more. He seemed almost as much in his element out here as she was.

OoOoO

Feeling his eyes on her again, Buffy felt her heart skip a little, her skin starting to turn red. She focused on keeping her breathing calm as she stared off into the other direction, afraid to look in his direction. She swallowed, letting her eyes follow two birds up in the sky, flying from one branch to another.

Several times throughout the day this had happened, she would feel him staring at her.

When she had come back out of her room to join him he had nearly choke on his glass of juice he'd just taken a sip from. Her hair was up in a tight ponytail but now that it was finally tamed from the wild mess it'd been the golden strands were gleaming. Her skin had nearly been rubbed raw to get all the grime off of her but it was finally looking a little less like an ugly red mess these days. Finally getting a little more sleep in plus having a regular diet was helping her out in many ways as well, which became quite evident when she put on her new hunting outfit which clung to her in all the right places. She looked almost like an entirely new girl than the one who had stumbled into this new world.

And as much as she tried to deny it, the attention, the heat from his eyes when he looked at her stirred something inside of her that she couldn't explain.

OoOoO

Deciding to take a rest before heading back, they found a stream closest to them and got fresh water, ate some of the snacks they had on them and just take it easy for awhile.

"I wasn't sure about asking you to come along, but I'm glad I did," Angelus told her. "I didn't know if this would be the last thing in the world you'd want to do given it's pretty much been your life for the past ten years or if..."

Buffy smiled a little at him. "It's nice," she cut in. "This is all a huge part of my past, memories-great memories I had with my family, and a big part of who I became after I lost them. I can honestly say I am more than happy to not be living like this any more, but taking some time to just get back out in nature and all is very dear to me. I'm glad you invited me."

Angel nodded, stretching his arms out next and then laying down on the ground and looking up at the world above him.

"Giles had told me more about your family history, the curse and all," she said after some time had passed. She'd been on the brink of bringing their conversation up so many times it was ridiculous. And why she chose now of all times...

Angelus sat up and looked at the ground then, letting out a slow breath. "I'm not them."

Buffy nearly blushed and shook her head quickly. "I know," she told him. She knew he'd had their memories hanging over him his whole life so she understood the quick reaction he had to them being brought up. His jaw was still clenched tight when she continued, "It's obvious that you haven't followed in their footsteps. I was just wondering what you thought the reasoning was to why it's been so different with you."

She saw him relax slightly, laying back down. "There's a lot of theories on that, but I have no idea, no one seems to. Have I ever wondered about it? Absolutely, quite often even. But I don't obsess over it. It is what it is. I'm just thankful and try to continue on with my life."

A silence fell between them before she laid down as well, then commented on how beautiful she thought it was out here.

"I've always loved this little corner of this world," he told her. "It's always felt different than anywhere else. The rain never touched it the same way as it did everywhere else. But now that things have been clearing up since you arriving here, I can say that about several other places around Wolfram and Hart as well. Everything always looked so bleak and depressing, but now it's so night and day. It's almost like seeing everything for the first time again."

This reminded Buffy of something she'd told him before and sat up, asking him if he wanted to take her up on the offer to tell him about some of the other lands she had been to.

OoOoO

Angel had obviously enjoyed talking some about the other lands with her, Buffy took pleasure in that. He had been engrossed in the conversation listening to her talk about the looks of other lands the current statuses as far as she knew on many of them traditions and more, he'd asked questions and would give his opinion on various things. She thought it was by far her favorite conversation she'd had with the king thus far and it was one of her favorite memories she'd made her as well.

When they reached the barrier separating The Dark Realm from all the other worlds Buffy watched him. A sadness and longing passed across his face before he had a chance to shut it back down as he stared at the endless wall. His hand reached out to touch it then he turned around. "Guess we should be heading back now. I think we stayed out here longer than we planned as it is."

Buffy nodded, then looked at the wall her own self. "What would you do? If the curse was broken? If the walls keeping you in here came down?"

He'd taken a few steps away but stopped when he heard her questions. He turned back to face her leaned against a tall tree and shrugged. "I honestly have no idea. I have thought about that many times but it still comes back to 'I don't know.' People here would be worried, some would refuse to leave, some would be crossing the line out of here as fast as they could. I don't know how they would react as a whole, nor how the rest of the worlds would. Who knows what would happen there. We've been kept out of most things because of the curse so that would be a new experience. We could be welcomes with open arms to some, have a line at the gates with others ready to attack. No idea."

"What about you personally?"

He shrugged again. "I would like to think I would handle myself, get to the bottom of everything, make sure everything was in good order. But yeah, when it was doable I think I'd be overjoyed to walk out of here, travel, see new places, new people. But I haven't put much thought in anything as it goes along with everything else... it's not something I felt the need to worry about in the grand scheme of things. I've always been trying to live more in the now than the past or too much in the future, wanting to deal with the what is rather than the what could be or what if's."

Buffy nodded, her fingers digging into the collar of her suit to play with the necklace laying inside. "I-I still have some fairy dust," she blurted out after a few seconds had passed.

He had a look of surprise. "What you used to get through the wall?"

She nodded. "N-not a lot, but there's a little left."

"In case you needed back out?"

She nodded again. "What if I gave it to you?" Buffy pulled the small jar holding the dust out and unhooked the necklace from around her neck.

The king took it from her when she offered, looking curiously at the magical ingredients. "I would thank you for the offer," he said slowly, "but tell you to keep it," he said, handing it back to her. "You may need it. And for right now, Wolfram And Hart is where I belong. If I left it would be like I abandoned everyone here and I can't do that. Who knows if it would work for me or work for me to come back. But I appreciate the gesture."

They walked for awhile, Buffy having put her necklace back on.

"What would you do?" he asked.

She turned to the side to glance at him. "If the walls came down?"

He nodded.

"I think I am in the same I don't know boat as you," she answered. "This place being so locked away from everything was a big ass selling point on coming here. I feel safe here because of that-for the most part anyway. Those walls keep Hank from being able to get to me, from being able to know where I am. They come down and all bets are off on that. We could continue with the notion of telling everyone who I am and word get out by that, or even if we didn't tell I am sure the news would get out one way or another. And then it'd be back to the same ol' life I had before. Always running, somewhere."

"I would do anything to keep that from happening," he told her suddenly. "I would-will-do anything to keep you safe, Buffy."

She couldn't help but feel a warmth at his words. "G-Giles told me he thinks it'll happen though, that the entire curse will get lifted," she said before her brain could tell her mouth to shut up.

Angelus' fist clenched then unclenched some at his side. "He did?"

Buffy nodded. "H-he had quite a theory about y-you and me," she said, starting to blush and was yelling at herself mentally for bringing any of this up with him.

"He told you about that?" he asked then sighed when she confirmed it. "Sorry. He doesn't need to try to be putting those type of thoughts in anyone's head."

"What if it were true?" she asked, then felt herself turn a bright red.

Angelus stopped again, looked at her. "Are you in love with me?"

"W-what? No..." she stuttered out.

"See? The whole thing is ridiculous, as I tried telling him. I am sure there is some reasoning for things happening as they have but his large story of the how's and why's is a little too much. Too many pieces not fitting it like the perfect little package he wants it to be."

Buffy was thankful her mouth didn't get ahead of her, telling him what was on the tip of her tongue about that. To tell him that True Love worked in some mysterious ways sometimes. Yes, two hearts and two souls were meant to be together from the get-go but it wasn't a sealed deal upon birth. It could happen at first sight like it had with her own parents but that's not how it always worked. Sometimes it took days, weeks, months, years or even longer. But it boiled down to fate, their hearts being linked in the grand scheme of things but also a moment. Just some moment that would happen with the two of them and change everything, setting their life's course as soul mates.

It wasn't as though she really believed she and Angel were destined to be soul mates their own selves, but she wasn't ruling it out either. It was a lot to wrap her head around but there was obvious signs pointing in that direction she couldn't ignore.

Was she in love with Angelus? No... But there was something, she just wasn't sure what that was. Maybe it was just some connection through their past, or maybe their hearts were recognizing one another and starting to build towards something more. Who knew? She was aware that she was quite attracted to the king and he made her feel safer than she'd felt in a long, long time and enjoyed being in his company.

Anything more than that was harder to get a grasp on though.

OoOoO

Buffy was about to open the door to her room when she heard Angelus call out her name. She turned around, facing him as he finished the short walk over to her. "Thanks again for today," he told her.

Buffy couldn't help but smile. "It was a pleasure, Angelus."

There was a brief silence then his face looked more serious. "You are obviously someone very special, Miss Summers," he told her. "And not just because of who your parents are and what they made you or what power it is you might have because of that. All on your own you are pretty amazing, Buffy. You're beautiful and smart, a deadly combination. You're also very kind, very funny when you want to be. And I am sure there's love out there for you, hell maybe even this True Love everyone's all on about, but don't let Giles or even Wes get your head all clouded up about it including me."

Buffy was still blushing but she felt her jaw clench by his last remark. It had stung.

Angelus seemed to sense that and his eyes quickly softened and he sighed. "That... that's not how I meant that," he said then sighed again. "You are an amazing girl," he repeated, "and you deserve the best someone can offer you. Someone much better than me. As you've been told... Hart's are a disaster when it comes to life, family, relationships and everything else. You deserve more than that."

Buffy was again having issues with her mind and mouth's communication. "W-what if the curse would then be broken?"

His eyes seemed to burn a hole in her, making her heart skip. "That's still a far fetched what if in my view, Miss Summers," he finally answered. "And too much of a risk to lay anything on. This curse doesn't just touch those in my blood line but also the poor souls they bring in to it. I know the stories about the relationships held with my ancestors. That's why I've steered clear of anything close to that happening. I don't need something like that to happen to anyone, let alone you, Buffy. You're destined for more than what my dark cloud of a life could offer to you. Don't let any of this," he said waving a hand around the space, "make you think any differently. You don't owe anything to anyone here. You're not facing the barrel of a gun in the sense of going to be stuck shacked up with me or something. There's ideas many have, but they are nothing more than that."

"What if the curse was broken?" she asked again, her eyes cast downward, her voice softer.

His hand came up, brushing a strand of hair off of her cheek. "Risks are too great," he said, his voice sounding a little sad. "I could never do that to you."


End file.
